WINNIPEG -- Another Manitoban has died of COVID-19, and 100 new cases have been reported in the province – as cases continue to grow in Winnipeg and across the province.

On Monday, Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, announced the most recent death is a woman in her 80s. Her death is linked to the outbreak at the Parkview Place care home in Winnipeg.

READ MORE: Site of Manitoba’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak still dealing with staffing shortage

Roussin also reported 100 new cases in Manitoba as of Monday morning.

These new cases include:

  • five cases in the Interlake-Eastern health region;
  • 10 cases in the Northern health region;
  • one case in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
  • 11 cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region; and
  • 73 cases in the Winnipeg health region.

Since March, the province has seen a total of 4,349 cases. As of Monday, the five-day test positivity rate in Manitoba is now 7.1 per cent – the highest it has been in the pandemic. The test positivity rate in the Winnipeg metro area has reached 8.3 per cent.

RISING CASES EXPECTED TO HIT 5,000 BY THE END OF THE WEEK

These new cases add to a deadly weekend in the province – with more than 300 cases announced on Saturday and Sunday, and six more deaths reported.

Since the pandemic first hit the province, 55 people in Manitoba have died due to COVID-19.

Roussin said in the last week alone the province reported 14 deaths and more than 830 cases.

“On this trajectory, we expect to have more than 5,000 by the end of this week,” Roussin said, adding many of these cases are linked to social gatherings.

READ MORE: Manitoba’s top doctor is calling out those who are not following the rules

Roussin said if the numbers don’t start decreasing, the province will need to further reduce gathering sizes, specifically indoor gatherings.

He said they may have to step up enforcement as well, to address the spiking numbers.

‘WE ARE NOT POWERLESS’: SIRAGUSA RALLIES MANITOBANS

Shared Health’s Chief Nursing Officer Lanette Siragusa, who joined Roussin on Monday, said she will be joining the news conferences for the foreseeable future as COVID cases continue to escalate and impact health care.

She said Manitobans need to work together to once again flatten the curve.

“We are coming up on what is likely going to be a defining moment in our lifetimes. As individuals, as families, as Manitobans – there is going to be significant challenges in front of us as we head into the next several months,” she said.

“We are not powerless and we are not alone and this is not going to last forever.”

POSTPONING SERVICES MAY BE REQUIRED IF CASES INCREASE

There are now 80 people in hospital, including 15 people who are in intensive care.

Siragusa said the province does have capacity across the system in medicine and intensive care to deal with these COVID cases, but changes may be needed if the cases keep spiking.

“If we continue to see increases like this, we will likely need to implement some of the measures that we took in the spring in terms of redeploying staffing so that we have enough capacity with beds and equipment for COVID patients and other patients as well.”

She said postponing elective and non-urgent procedures is a last resort.

On Sunday, 2,131 tests were completed, bringing the total number of tests done since early February to 242,787.

Siragusa said in the past week, the turnaround time for labs to process test samples has ranged from 29 to 41 hours. This does not include transport time.

Monday marks the start of Manitoba moving to three COVID-19 news conferences a week – on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 

- With files from CTV’s Mason DePatie.