Manitoba COVID-19 cases nearly double, hospital admissions rise

A new report from the Manitoba government shows that the number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases nearly doubled at the start of July as hospitalization continue to rise.

On Thursday, the province released its latest Provincial Respiratory Surveillance Report, which provides COVID-19 data from July 3 to July 9. The report shows that during this week, there were 229 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Manitoba – an increase of 104 cases from the week before.

During this week, an average of 269 people tested for COVID-19 per day, with the province’s test positivity rate increasing from 11.5 per cent to 14.8 per cent.

According to the report, Manitoba also saw an increase in the number of people experiencing severe outcomes from the virus.

From July 3 to July 9, 59 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, including seven people admitted to the ICU. This is an increase compared to the week before, when Manitoba reported 46 hospital admissions, as well as seven ICU admissions.

In the latest report, the province reported two more deaths related to COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, 2,053 Manitobans have died due to COVID.

As of July 9, 83.1 per cent of Manitobans aged five and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with 55.3 per cent receiving at least one additional dose. On Thursday, Health Canada approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for infants and preschoolers.

The City of Winnipeg’s wastewater surveillance data shows an ongoing presence of COVID-19, but with a generalized decrease in activity.