Manitoba reports lowest daily COVID-19 case count since April; 124 new cases announced

The Province of Manitoba has recorded its lowest daily COVID-19 case count since mid-April, with 124 COVID-19 cases on Monday.
The Winnipeg region reported 80 cases on Monday, with a five-day test positivity rate of 10.2 per cent. The region has a total of 1,989 active cases.
The other cases reported on Monday include:
- 19 cases in the Southern Health region, which has 331 active cases;
- 14 cases in the Northern health region, which has 280 active cases;
- Seven cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region, which has 232 active cases; and
- Four cases in the Interlake-Eastern health region, which has 279 active cases.
The new cases bring Manitoba's total number of cases to 54,481, including 3,111 active cases and 50,268 recoveries.
The province has a five-day test positivity rate of 10.7 per cent.
This is the lowest daily case count since April 19, when 108 cases were reported in a single day.
"Our case numbers are heading in the right direction – our vaccination rates are climbing," said Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer.
He said the low cases are a sign the restrictions that are in place across the province are working. He said despite the lowering COVID-19 cases, the health-care system is still feeling the impact.
"We continue to see deaths related to this virus, we continue to see that strain on our health-care system – hospital admissions, especially ICU."
Roussin reported two more deaths on Monday including a man in his 80s from the Southern Health region, and a woman in her 50s from Winnipeg whose death has been linked to the B.1.1.7 variant of concern.
This brings the total number of people who have died with COVID-19 in Manitoba to 1,102. The province said one death reported over the weekend was removed due to a data correction.
The province said 26 Manitoba ICU patients are receiving out-of-province care, with 25 in Ontario and one in Alberta. No other COVID-19 patients were taken out of the province on Sunday.
There have been 26 patients returned to Manitoba hospitals.
Within the province, health officials said there are 271 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including 60 patients in intensive care as of Monday. Most of the patients hospitalized have active cases.
"As these case numbers are declining, we are going to anticipate declining numbers in hospitalizations and ICU," Roussin said.
He said in the past few days the number of patients in ICU has stabilized, but is still at an extremely high number.
"Our data is showing that the vast majority of people being admitted to ICU are unvaccinated," Roussin said. "Not trying to cast any blame on people – there is lots of reasons why someone may not have been vaccinated as of yet."
Roussin said this shows the benefit of getting a vaccine, adding public health is not really seeing any vaccinated Manitobans admitted into the ICU.
On Monday, the province expanded eligibility for second-dose appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine.
READ MORE: Manitoba updates second-dose COVID-19 vaccine eligibility
The province said 1,667 laboratory tests were completed on Sunday. This brings the total number tests done since early February 2020 to 803,597.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Engaged couple shot dead fleeing landlord after house dispute near Hamilton, Ont., police say
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.

Turkiye's Erdogan wins 5th term as president, extending rule into 3rd decade
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade in a country reeling from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that levelled entire cities.
Venice authorities investigate after canal turns fluorescent green
Venetian authorities are investigating after a patch of fluorescent green water appeared in the famed Grand Canal on Sunday morning.
Fight still ahead for Texas' Ken Paxton after historic impeachment deepens GOP divisions
The historic impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was just the first round of a Republican brawl over whether to banish one of their own in America's biggest red state after years of criminal accusations.
Blais scores twice, Canada beats Germany 5-2 to win gold at men's hockey worlds
Samuel Blais scored two goals to rally Canada to a 5-2 victory over Germany in the final of the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.
Jan. 6 rioters are raking in thousands in donations. Now the U.S. is coming after their haul
Less than two months after he pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol, Texas resident Daniel Goodwyn appeared on Tucker Carlson's then-Fox News show and promoted a website where supporters could donate money to Goodwyn and other rioters whom the site called 'political prisoners.'
3-year-old boy dies after drowning in backyard pool west of Toronto
Police are investigating the death of a three-year-old boy who was pulled from a backyard pool in Oakville on Saturday.
Alberta NDP holds rally in Calgary, UCP talks about crime, mental health supports
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley held a major rally in downtown Calgary Saturday morning, while her United Conservative rival had no public events planned this weekend after a final pitch to voters a day earlier.
'The Little Mermaid' makes box office splash with US$95.5 million opening
'The Little Mermaid' made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend.