Federal ask for COVID-19 help in Manitoba an extension: province
The federal government has extended the stay of nurses in Manitoba helping hospitals handle the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, Bill Blair, Minister of Emergency Preparedness, tweeted that Manitoba had requested federal assistance for its health-care system.
The province and the Canadian Red Cross have since clarified that the request was to extend the stay of a trio of nurses already in the province helping out.
In a phone call with CTV News, Jason Small, the senior communications manager for the Canadian Red Cross for Manitoba and Nunavut said a handful of Red Cross nurses from across the country have been deployed at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg since the end of December.
At the most, there were eight nurses; the number is down to three. Small explained essentially the contract for the remaining three nurses has been extended another two weeks until March 15th.
Small clarified that more nurses are not being deployed to Manitoba.
“This is simply a request for continued support of human health resources (nurses) to augment Manitoba’s COVID-19 response,” reads a statement from a provincial spokesperson.
The statement went on to say that while Manitoba’s COVID-19 case counts and hospitalization numbers continue to trend downwards, intensive care units and acute care centres continue to be a few weeks behind those trends.
“We appreciate the assistance from the federal government as we continue to add capacity in our health system to ensure Manitobans get the care they need, for COVID and other medical matters.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.