Manitoba sees 2nd-highest COVID-19 case jump, test positivity rate on Thursday

Manitoba recorded some of its highest COVID-19 numbers on Thursday, as cases in Winnipeg continued to rise.

The province announced 67 new cases of the illness, 57 of which are in the city. The daily tally is second only to a record set on Aug. 23, when Manitoba reported72 new casesin one day many of which were linked to clusters on Hutterite colonies. (Another 24 cases were retroactively added to that day's total, bringing the number to 96.)

The province's five-day test positivity rate also saw a spike Thursday, to three per cent, up from 2.4 per cent the day before. Winnipeg's rate is even higher, at 3.3 per cent,Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussinsaid at a news conference.

The province's currenttest positivity rate was surpassed only by a rate of 3.1 per cent at the end of August, three days after the record-high daily increase in cases.

Nearly two weeks after the Winnipeg area was moved to the orange, or "restricted," level under the province's pandemic response system, Roussin urged people keep following public health advice and limit contacts especially as the Thanksgiving weekend approaches.

"We're likely to start seeing those numbers come down if we maintain our focus," he said.

WATCH | Dr. Brent Roussin talks about Thanksgiving plans:

Dr. Brent Roussins advice for Thanksgiving

4 years ago

Duration 0:49

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitobas chief public health officer, says its best to limit Thanksgiving gatherings to household members this year but if you dont, there are steps you can take to limit the potential risk of spreading the illness.

New rules, including mandatory masks indoors and a 10-person cap on gatherings, came into effect on Sept. 28. Roussin said it's still too early to tell how effective the measures are, but urged people not to lose faith in the strategy.

"We all want to see the downward trend right away. But even if we don't see that, it doesn't mean that these aren't effective," he said.

Roussin encouraged people to restrict gatherings to household members and make an attendance list if they're planning to have a Thanksgiving dinnerthis weekend, to limit how far the illness could spread and help with contact tracing.

Record-high testing

Six of Thursday's new cases are in the Southern Health region, while three are in the Interlake-Eastern health region, Roussin said. The remaining new case is in the Prairie Mountain Health region.

One previously announced case was removed from the case totals, Roussin said, bringing the total number of cases of the illness identified in the province to 2,344.There are now 863 active cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, including 745 just over 83 per cent in the Winnipeg region, according to provincial data.

Another 2,736 COVID-19 tests were done in the province on Wednesday, a new record for tests completed in a single day in Manitoba. There have now been 200,710 lab tests done in the province.

There are 25 people with COVID-19 in hospital in the province, six of whom are in intensive care. Twenty-seven people with the illness have died in Manitoba, while 1,454 have recovered.

A new drive-thru testing site on Van Horne Avenue E. in Brandon was announced on Thursday. Details about locations and hours are on the province's website.

Four more places were identified as sites of possible exposures to COVID-19 on Thursday: Seven Oaks Middle School and Earl Grey School in Winnipeg, theEdge Lounge and Night Club in Steinbach and theRiding Mountain Village Canada Post Outlet in Riding Mountain.

Public health officials are reaching out to close contacts at the schools, and the impacted cohorts are transitioning to learning from home. More information about possible public exposures is also on the province's website.

Roussin's twice-weekly news conferences will now be at 12:30 p.m. instead of 1 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, though his next announcement will be moved to Oct. 13 because of the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday. News bulletins will still be posted daily, the province said.

Thursday's update comes after threedeaths were announced in Manitoba on Wednesdaythe province's largest single-day jump in fatalitieslinked to the illness.

One of those deaths was a resident of Parkview Place, the fourth COVID-19 death at the downtown Winnipeg care home. That's the same number of resident deaths as at Bethesda Place in Steinbach, which was previously the single deadliest care home outbreak in the province.

There have now been 40 cases of the illness linked to Parkview Place, said a statement from Revera, the company that runs the care home.

Thirty of those are active 20 residents and 10 employees, Dr. Rhonda Collins, Revera's chief medical officer, said in the statement. Sick residents have been grouped together on two floors, and residents on all other floors areisolating in their rooms to prevent further spread, Collins said.

Meanwhile, 18 cases have been linked to Bethesda Place, Roussin said:10 staff and eight residents.

He also provided the following updates on case numbers connected with other clusters in Winnipeg:

• Heritage LodgeLong Term Care Home: 12 residents.
• CalvaryPlace PersonalCare Home:six residents and three employees.
• BeaconHill Lodgecare home:three residents and two employees.
• St.NorbertPersonalCare Home: one employee.
• Metropolitan Kiwanis Courts assisted retirement living facility: one resident and one employee.
• John Pritchard School: 39 people.

Also on Thursday, staff at Milner Ridge Correctional Centre were notified about a correctional officer testing positive for COVID-19.

A letter to all staff at the facility, located 72 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, said public health officials conducted a full investigation and identified two potential exposures to the officer, who was asymptomatic at the time. Other than that, it said the risk to other staff and inmates is considered low.

WATCH | Full news conference on COVID-19 | Oct. 8, 2020:

Manitoba government daily briefing on coronavirus: Oct. 8

4 years ago

Duration 36:06

Provincial officials give update on COVID-19 outbreak: Thursday, October 8, 2020.