Manitoba reported more than 200 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day for the first time in nearly three months April 20, with 211 lab-confirmed infections announced.
202 of those cases were confirmed yesterday. That was the first time since Jan. 23 that more than 200 cases of COVID were confirmed by laboratory testing in the same day.
One new death was reported since yesterday, the 960th person to die as a result of the virus since the pandemic began.
In the north, 25 new cases were reported, including nine from the Grand Rapids/Misipawistik/Mosakahiken/Moose Lake/Easterville/Chemawawin health district, seven from the Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake district, and five from the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/God’s River/God’s Lake district.
There are 132 Manitobans in hospital as a result of COVID-19, including 66 with active cases, 18 of whom are in intensive care. There are also 15 people who are no longer considered infections who are still in intensive care.
Twenty-two of those in hospital are from the north and 14 of them have active cases. There are four northerners with active cases in intensive care as well as four others who are no longer considered infectious.
The number of infections caused by variants of concern in Northern Manitoba continues to grow. There have now been 20 confirmed cases related to variants, including 18 caused by the B.1.1.7 or United Kingdom variant and two that have not been categorized.
At least one of the B.1.1.7 infections is located in Thompson, in someone connected to Wapanohk Community School, according to data about school-linked infections on the province’s website. There had been 15 cases of the virus among people connected to Thompson schools in the two weeks leading up to April 19, including seven at R.D. Parker Collegiate, four at Riverside School, two at Deerwood School and one at Westwood along with the variant of concern case connected to Wapanohk.
The five-day test positivity rate in Manitoba April 20 was six per cent.
20,741 first doses of COVID vaccines have been given to Northern Regional Health Authority residents so far, along with 4,804 second doses.
From April 12 to 18, 21 tickets for not following public health orders were issued in Manitoba, including 14 to individuals, four to businesses and three to individuals under the Federal Quarantine Act. One of the tickets to an individual was for unnecessary travel to Northern Manitoba.
