The province has announced that COVID-19 bulletins will only be issued on Thursdays. With that in mind, PembinaValleyOnline will also move to publishing COVID-19 updates only on Thursdays, to coincide with the adjustment to the release schedule.
Public health officials advise 18 new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today:
a female in her 70s from Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Saturday);
a female in her 70s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Saturday);
a male in his 50s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Saturday);
a male in his 60s from Interlake-Eastern health region (reported Saturday);
a male in his 60s from the Prairie Mountain Health region and linked to the outbreak at Dr. Gendreau Personal Care Home (reported Saturday);
a male in his 80s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Saturday);
a female in her 70s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
a male in his 60s from Interlake-Eastern health region (reported Sunday);
a male in his 90s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
a male in his 90s from the Prairie Mountain Health region and linked to the outbreak at Swan River Valley Personal Care Home (reported Sunday);
a male in his 70s from Prairie Mountain Health (reported Wednesday);
a male in his 70s from Winnipeg health region and linked to the outbreak at Actionmarguerite St. Vital (reported Wednesday);
a female in her 40s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Wednesday);
a male in his 70s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Thursday);
a female in her 40s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Thursday);
a female in her 100s from the Winnipeg health region and linked to the outbreak at Tuxedo Villa personal care home (reported Thursday);
a female in her 50s from the Northern health region (reported Thursday); and
a male in his 50s from Interlake-Eastern health region (reported Thursday).
In total, the province is reporting 200 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing Manitoba's total active case count to 4,900. There are 424 total COVID-19 hospitalizations in Manitoba, 160 of which are active cases. As well, there are 22 COVID-related ICU patients in the province - 13 of which are active cases. The provincial test positivity rate is 12.7%
Manitoba continues to report on the recorded number of COVID-19 cases. However, it is important to note this data is limited and should be used with caution. It includes cases confirmed by a PCR test as well as rapid tests given by health-care professionals. Positive test results from rapid antigen tests, which people generally do at home, are not collected or reported. As a result, these numbers are an under-reporting of COVID-19 in the community.
Information about COVID-19 in Manitoba is updated on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. on these dashboards:
Case data: https://geoportal.gov.mb.ca/apps/manitoba-covid-19/
COVID-19 vaccination coverage: https://geoportal.gov.mb.ca/apps/manitoba-covid-19-vaccinations-dashboard-1/
Outbreaks: www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/prs/index.html
Public health officials are highlighting the following trends. As of March 9, Manitoba saw:
136 new hospitalizations, a 2.9 per cent decrease from the previous week; and
21 new ICU cases, a 50 per cent increase from the previous week.
As compared to people with two doses of the vaccine, those who are not fully vaccinated are:
five times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19;
seven times as likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit; and
eight times as likely to die with COVID-19.
The province is currently reviewing the level of direct COVID-19 services it delivers as it transitions to a time without the same level of public health orders in place. As more and more Manitobans get vaccinated, the demand for super sites is reducing and the availability of vaccine at pharmacies and doctors’ offices has increased. More information on changes to these sites will be announced in the near future.
Individuals who have been tested for COVID-19 are now able to access all past COVID-19 test results at the Shared Health portal at https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/test-results/. Previously, only the most current test results were available. Self-administered rapid antigen test results are not available through the portal. Individuals who experience an issue accessing their records can request support at https://forms.gov.mb.ca/covid-immunization-record-request/index.html.
Testing
Starting March 14, COVID-19 testing sites will be available on a walk-in basis only, with the exception of pre-operative patients. Pre-operative patients can continue to make appointments by calling 1-855-268-4318. Testing locations can be found at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/testing/locations.html.
Public Health Orders
Public health orders requiring masks in public places ends on March 15. However, masks will continue to be required for all individuals attending a health-care facility, including visitors.
Also effective March 15, the public health orders for isolation of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are being removed. The orders are being transitioned to public health guidelines, similar to how other communicable diseases are managed.
Isolation for COVID-19 is still advised in the following situations:
- people with symptoms should stay home and isolate for five days after symptoms start until they have no fever and other symptoms have improved over the past 24 hours;
- individuals who have tested positive but do not develop symptoms should isolate for five days from the date of the test;
- individuals should wear a well-fitting, well-made mask if they must have contact with other people while ill or when their isolation is finished for 10 days after the onset of symptoms or test date if asymptomatic; and
- people who have symptoms or test positive should avoid non-essential visits with higher-risk people or at higher-risk settings for 10 days after the onset of their symptoms or test date if asymptomatic.
People can continue to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by getting vaccinated, staying home when sick, assessing their risk and making decisions about using masks, physical distancing and other actions based on those risks.
Schools and child-care facilities continue to follow public health guidance on mask use. As of March 15, they will no longer be required for staff or students. Physical distancing requirements and cohorts will also no longer be required in these settings at that time.
Enforcement
The Manitoba government is providing an update on ongoing enforcement efforts to protect Manitobans from the spread of COVID-19. A total of 1,196 inspections occurred, which resulted in two warnings and two tickets issued for the week of Feb. 28 to March 6 including two $298 tickets in Southern Health-Santé Sud to individuals for failure to wear a mask in an indoor public place.
Updated enforcement statistics are posted online weekly at: https://manitoba.ca/openmb/infomb/departments/index.html#cdr.
More Resources
COVID-19 in Manitoba: www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.
Vaccine campaign: www.manitoba.ca/vaccine and https://protectmb.ca.
Testing information: www.manitoba.ca/covid19/testing/index.html.
Enforcement statistics: https://manitoba.ca/openmb/infomb/departments/index.html#cdr.