Four deaths, 534 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Manitoba on Sunday

WINNIPEG -- The province of Manitoba has reported four more people have died due to COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the province to 1,010.

Two of the deaths are linked to the B.1.1.7 variant of concern, a male from the Northern Health region and a female from the Winnipeg Health region, with both of them in their fifties.

The other two deaths are men from the Winnipeg Health region, one in his fifties and the other in his eighties, with the latter linked to an outbreak at Holy Family Home.

In addition, another 534 new cases of COVID-19 were also announced by the province, with two cases removed due to a data correction, bringing the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba to 45,149.

The current five-day test positivity rate now sits at 12.3 per cent provincially and is 14.1 per cent in Winnipeg.

Of the newly announced cases, the majority are in the Winnipeg Health Region with 329. The Prairie Mountain Health Region had 43 cases, 39 were reported in both the Interlake-Eastern and Northern Health Regions, and 84 cases were reported in Southern Health–Santé SudHealth Region.

The province now has 4,440 people with active cases of the virus, with 39,699 recoveries.

Right now there are a total of 258 people in hospital because of the COVID-19 virus. Of those people, 201 have active cases of the virus, with another 57 people in hospital who are no longer infectious but still require care.

There are a total of 71 ICU patients currently in hospital with 53 people having active cases of the virus and another 18 who are no longer infectious but still require care.

The total number of variants of concern in Manitoba is not updated on Sundays.

The total number of laboratory tests completed since early February in the province now sits at 721,995, after 3,682 tests were completed on Saturday.

The province also announced a new mobile COVID-19 testing site will be opening Monday, May 17, in Winnipeg at 1181 Portage Avenue, with appointment bookings starting Sunday, May 16.

Health officials note people should only get tested if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, or if they have been advised by public health that they are a close contact. This is to ensure testing capabilities are available to those who need it.