The new cases bring the total number of known lab-confirmed and probable cases reported in Manitoba since March to 474 and come after just two new cases were reported Wednesday.
Manitoba’s chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, said the cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region are linked to a cluster cases in Brandon and added he expects to see further cases reported in western Manitoba city from the cluster.
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The initial Brandon case came from someone who travelled from the east and Roussin says the person was supposed to self-isolate but it “wasn’t done perfectly”
Roussin said 25 of the 30 new cases have been linked to other positive tests. He said investigations are ongoing and additional information will be provided as needed to inform people of any public health risks.
The news comes the same day as Global News confirmed three more employees at the Maple Leaf hog processing plant in Brandon tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of employees from the plant ill with COVID-19 to four.
In an email to The Canadian Press the company said all employees are given a daily health screening and have their temperatures monitored. Employees are also supplied personal protective equipment and are required to social distance.
“We will continue to operate our Brandon plant as long as we believe we can provide an environment that will protect the safety of our people while working,” the email from Maple Leaf said.
Global News also learned Thursday a daycare in St. Francois Xavier, Man., is temporarily shutting down after a child who attends the centre reportedly also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Roussin said he couldn’t confirm the case reported at the daycare.
Roussin says we need to anticipate seeing cases in schools. He has the extra precautions within the cohorts will help stop spread outside of cohorts.
“Public health will do its usual investigation, look into where contact could have occurred, if it is in a school or in a daycare. We’re going to contact everyone who could be, could have contacted and advise accordingly.”
Manitoba had gone nearly half the month of July without reporting a single new case of the virus. But that streak ended July 14 when five new cases were identified. Since then 144 new cases have been reported in Manitoba, including a one-day jump of 18 on Sunday.
Roussin said the recent increase in cases isn’t enough for him to consider rolling back the province’s loosened public health restrictions.
“It’s certainly a reminder to Manitobans that this virus is here — if we let our guards down, we can certainly see our numbers climb,” he said Thursday.
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“But as far as right now we want to stick with the fundamentals, we don’t want to impose significant restrictions — because we think if we can stick with those fundamentals we can live with this virus rather than shut things down.”
The highest one-day jump in cases the province has seen since the virus arrived in March was 40, recorded on April 2.
As of Thursday Health officials said 10 people are currently in hospital with the virus, including five in intensive care.
They said there are 118 known active cases and 384 people have recovered from the virus. Eight Manitobans have died.
Officials also advising of potential exposure on Air Canada flight AC 8595 rows 16-22 from Montreal to Winnipeg on July 29. Individuals in this area are advised to self isolate for 14 days.
Health officials also warned of a potential exposure to COVID-19 for passengers on a plane that arrived in Winnipeg July 29.
They say passengers in rows 16-22 on Air Canada flight AC 8595 from Montreal to Winnipeg should self-isolate for 14-days following the flight and monitor for symptoms. Passengers on the flight, but not in the affected seats, should self-monitor for symptoms and self-isolate if they develop.
The province says 564 lab tests for COVID-19 were done Wednesday, bringing the total number of tests completed in Manitoba since early February to 95,547.
The new cases bring the province’s test positivity rate to 0.90 per cent.
Coronavirus: After long-weekend spike, Manitoba announces 2 additional COVID-19 cases
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can once again order COVID-19 tests, without being charged, sent straight to their homes.
The U.S. government reopened the program on Thursday, allowing any household to order up to four at-home COVID nasal swab kits through the website, covidtests.gov. The tests will begin shipping, via the United States Postal Service, as soon as next week.
The website has been reopened on the heels of a summer COVID-19 virus wave and heading into the fall and winter respiratory virus season, with health officials urging Americans to get an updated COVID-19 booster and their yearly flu shot.
“Before you visit with your family and friends this holiday season, take a quick test and help keep them safe from COVID-19,” U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell said in a statement.
U.S. regulators approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine that is designed to combat the recent virus strains and, they hope, forthcoming winter ones, too. Vaccine uptake is waning, however. Most Americans have some immunity from prior infections or vaccinations, but under a quarter of U.S. adults took last fall’s COVID-19 shot.
Using the swab, people can detect current virus strains ahead of the fall and winter respiratory virus season and the holidays. Over-the-counter COVID-19 at-home tests typically cost around $11, as of last year. Insurers are no longer required to cover the cost of the tests.
Before using any existing at-home COVID-19 tests, you should check the expiration date. Many of the tests have been given an extended expiration from the date listed on the box. You can check on the Food and Drug Administration’s website to see if that’s the case for any of your remaining tests at home.
Since COVID-19 first began its spread in 2020, U.S. taxpayers have poured billions of dollars into developing and purchasing COVID-19 tests as well as vaccines. The Biden administration has given out 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, including half distributed to households by mail. It’s unclear how many tests the government still has on hand.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can once again order free COVID-19 tests sent straight to their homes.
The U.S. government reopened the program on Thursday, allowing any household to order up to four at-home COVID nasal swab kits through the website, covidtests.gov. The tests will begin shipping, via the United States Postal Service, as soon as next week.
The website has been reopened on the heels of a summer COVID-19 virus wave and heading into the fall and winter respiratory virus season, with health officials urging Americans to get an updated COVID-19 booster and their yearly flu shot.
U.S. regulators approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine that is designed to combat the recent virus strains and, they hope, forthcoming winter ones, too. Vaccine uptake is waning, however. Most Americans have some immunity from prior infections or vaccinations, but under a quarter of U.S. adults took last fall’s COVID-19 shot.
Using the swab, people can detect current virus strains ahead of the fall and winter respiratory virus season and the holidays. Over-the-counter COVID-19 at-home tests typically cost around $11, as of last year. Insurers are no longer required to cover the cost of the tests.
Since COVID-19 first began its spread in 2020, U.S. taxpayers have poured billions of dollars into developing and purchasing COVID-19 tests as well as vaccines. The Biden administration has given out 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, including half distributed to households by mail. It’s unclear how many tests the government still has on hand.
TORONTO – A coalition of disability rights groups says it is launching a Charter challenge against a part of Canada’s law on medical assistance in dying.
The group, which also includes two individual plaintiffs, argues that what’s known as track two of the MAID law has resulted in premature deaths.
Under the law, patients whose natural deaths are not reasonably foreseeable but whose condition leads to intolerable suffering can apply for a track-two assisted death.
The coalition says track two of the MAID law has had a direct effect on the lives of people with disabilities and argues medically assisted death should only be available to those whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.
The executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada – which is part of the coalition – says there has been an alarming trend where people with disabilities are seeking assisted death due to social deprivation, poverty and a lack of essential supports.
Krista Carr says those individuals should instead be supported in order to live better lives.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
