WINNIPEG -- Health officials announced seven new deaths linked to COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 695.

The news coming in the province's daily COVID-19 bulletin.

Six of the deaths are people from Winnipeg, including a woman in her 60s, a man and a woman in their 70s, a man in his 80s from the outbreak at the River East Personal Care Home, a woman in her 90s linked to the same outbreak and a man in his 90s connected to the Holy Family Personal Care Home outbreak.

The other death was a woman in her 70s from the Southern Health Region who was part of the outbreak at the Le Chalet de la Broquerie Assisted Living facility.

Manitoba also added 130 new cases, pushing the total number of cases to 25,374 since the start of the pandemic.

The five-day test positivity rate is 10.7 per cent in the province and 11.5 per cent in Winnipeg.

Of the new cases, 77 are from Winnipeg, 19 are from the Northern Health Region, 17 are coming from the Interlake-Eastern Health Region, nine from the Prairie Mountain Health Region, and eight from the Southern Health Region.

There are currently 4,427 active cases and 20,252 people have recovered from COVID-19.

There are 243 people in hospital that have COVID-19, 35 of which are in intensive care.

Hospitals also have 96 people who no longer have COVID-19 but still require care, including 40 in intensive care.

On Monday, 1,264 tests were completed, bringing the total to 428,753 since early February.

Dr. Jazz Atwal, the acting deputy chief provincial public health officer, said in a teleconference on Tuesday that there are a lot of indicators right now that the province is headed in the right direction.

"Everyone is seeing that our case numbers are declining from where they were at, so that is always one indicator, that is one good sign," said Atwal, who added the test positivity number is dropping from its peak and hospital numbers are also lowering.

"There is COVID-19 out there obviously , people are getting sick. But it does seem like we are heading in the right direction."

The province also updated the immunization numbers noting that 850 people received the vaccine on Monday which is when the RBC Convention Centre super site opened.

Atwal said they are expecting that number to grow in the coming days.

"The goal of that is not to stay at 850, by the end of the month that number is going to go up and we're going to look at ramping that up."

Since the vaccine has arrived in Manitoba 4,292 people have been immunized.

The province noted that around 800 appointments still remain available for people to be vaccinated later this week.

The phone line is open for eligible health-care workers, which include:

  • People who work in critical care units;
  • People who work in long-term care and acute care facilities who were born on or before Dec. 31, 1975;
  • People who work at COVID-19 immunization clinics or testing sites;
  • People working in a laboratory that handles COVID-19 specimens;
  • People who work in COVID-19 hospital wards; and
  • People who work in provincial or federal correctional facilities.

Those who go for testing are reminded to go through the main doors of the convention centre and that indoor parking is free for everyone who is attending their appointment.

The province said the super site has around 10,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. There are 7,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine, most of which are going to First Nations. The other 2,000 will be used to start immunizing at personal care homes next week.

Atwal noted said a plan for personal care homes will be announced on Wednesday and officials are also working with First Nations to create a plan that works best for the communities.