WINNIPEG -- Cases of COVID-19 have once again jumped in the City of Winnipeg, as provincial health officials announced 36 new cases in the province – the majority of which are within the Perimeter.

On Thursday during a press conference at the Manitoba Legislature, Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer said the new COVID-19 cases bring the total number of active cases in the province to 621.

The new cases in the province include:

  • four cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
  • two in the Interlake-Eastern health region;
  • two cases in Southern Health–Santé Sud; and
  • 28 cases in the Winnipeg health region.

Active cases within the City of Winnipeg jumped from 509 on Wednesday to 534 as of Thursday morning. The River East community area in the city continues to have the highest number of COVID-19 cases, with 119 active cases, which saw an increase in cases on Thursday. That is followed by the Downtown area which has 98 active cases.

"We are definitely seeing that 20 to 29 age group is propagating the transmission of the virus right now in Winnipeg," Roussin said. "A lot of that is associated with the restaurant, the bar sector which we are actively working with right now."

The Southern Health-Santé Sud has 34 active cases, the Interlake-Eastern region has 25 active cases, the Prairie Mountain Health Region has 15 active cases, and the Northern health region has 13 active cases.

Roussin said there have been 1,388 people who have recovered from the disease. There are 15 people in hospital and seven in intensive care. The number of COVID-19-related deaths remains at 20.

The province said 1,803 tests were completed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of lab tests done since early February to 186,668.

The current five-day test positivity rate is 2.1 per cent.

Since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Manitoba in March, there have been a total of 2,029 cases.