COVID-19

The Northwestern Health Unit has reported the highest-ever amount of new cases of COVID-19 today in the region, with 86 new cases across their catchment area.

Today’s cases include 40 in the Sioux Lookout Health Hub, 32 in Kenora, 6 in Red Lake, 5 in Dryden, 2 in Fort Frances and 1 in Atikokan. This brings the region’s total to 307 cases of the virus.

Follow-up with the persons involved and their contacts have started according to protocols.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange stepped out of a cabinet meeting Thursday afternoon to make an announcement that the province will be extending the winter break to January 10 for all students K-12 in response to the Omicron fifth wave. 

Alberta Health Services has posted on their website an estimated number of new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 at 4,000.

That makes for a positivity rate of 30 per cent.

Again, that is just reporting the PCR tests and not any rapid tests that people are being encouraged to use.

The data on hospitalizations and ICU admissions has not been updated.

There was supposed to have been a live COVID update this afternoon but Dr. Hinshaw tweeted that she had been called into a cabinet committee meeting.

Ontario’s top doctor says the province needs to take further action to prevent the spread of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, and new public health measures are now in place.

Shared Health says COVID-19 cases in hospital staff is seven times higher than it was the week before.

Many hospitalized Manitobas are vaccinated and are not needing intensive care beds.

"We are focussed on building what we call red capacity across the province," Shared Health CEO Adam Topp says in a Thursday press conference. "We have plans in place to expand (capacity)."

There are close to 200 people in the hospital because of COVID-19 infections.

Manitoba has hit a new COVID-19 daily case record once again this week with 1,123 new infections announced on Thursday. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases to 78,606.

New cases by health region include:

• 764 in Winnipeg
• 115 in Interlake-Eastern
• 111 in Southern
• 93 in Prairie Mountain
• 40 in Northern

There are 8,418 active cases and 68,801 recoveries.

The province recorded its highest daily case count with 2,775 new cases on Wednesday, December 28. That data is based only on PCR tests.

Hospitalizations have risen slightly by 18 to 349 since December 23. ICU admissions are at 57.

An additional 11 deaths were reported over the six-day period bringing the total in the province to 3,310.

Government officials provided a live update on Tuesday, December 28th, and encouraged Albertans to continue to follow all protocols, use rapid testing and continue to get immunized against COVID-19.

The province recorded its highest daily case count with 2,775 new cases on Wednesday, December 28. The data is based only on PCR tests.

Hospitalizations have risen slightly by 18 to 349 since December 23. ICU admissions are at 57.

Eleven deaths have been reported over the six-day period bringing the total in the province to 3,310.

Officials provided a live update Tuesday and encouraged Albertans to continue to follow all protocols, use rapid testing and continue to get immunized against COVID-19.

The province recorded its highest daily case count with 2,775 new cases on Wednesday, December 28. The data is based only on PCR tests.

Hospitalizations have risen slightly by 18 to 349 since December 23. ICU admissions are at 57.

Eleven deaths have been reported over the six-day period bringing the total in the province to 3,310.

Cochrane is reporting 141 active cases while Rocky View County has 233 cases. 

The juniors are cancelled.

Following a recommendation by the tournament COVID-19 Medical Group and the IIHF Medical Committee, the IIHF Council has decided that, due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship will be cancelled to ensure the health and safety of all participants.

The decision comes following a positive case on a player on the Russian national team, which would have necessitated a forfeit of the Russia-Slovakia game scheduled for Wednesday (Dec. 29).