COVID-19 transmission on the rise in Manitoba, BA.2 most prominent strain: Roussin
COVID-19 transmission in Manitoba is increasing, according to the province's top doctor.
Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, noted the BA.2 COVID-19 variant is the main strain circulating in Manitoba according to wastewater data, noting it makes up 60 per cent of transmission in Manitoba.
He added this also means that test positivity rates are also up as well as hospital admissions.
"Most of those admissions are related to those 80 plus years of age. Over that same time frame, though, we are seeing a decrease in more severe outcomes such as ICU and deaths," said Roussin.
He added that BA.2 is more contagious than the Omicron variant but he said there isn't an increase in severity.
Despite the data showing the increasing transmission, Roussin said there are no plans in place to reinstitute something like a mask mandate.
"Certainly, we have used those mask mandates in the past, we know that masks are effective. We still recommend that to Manitobans, especially if you are high risk," he said, adding health officials will continue to review the possibility as time goes on.
Thursday's news conference was the first in-person update from the chief provincial public health officer since mid-March. In that time the province shut down its daily COVID-19 dashboard, relying on the weekly epidemiology report which details the previous week’s COVID-19 data.
Roussin said weekly reports are enough for Manitobans to make decisions about risk during a transitional time on how COVID-19 is managed by public health.
"One of those things we have to start dealing with is not necessarily getting that data every single day," He said. "I think with the weekly, we know what we need to do now. We can always adjust our approach if necessary."
Christopher Fries, a health sociologist at the University of Manitoba, said individual health promotion is a problematic idea that requires credible data.
"When we make that decision to not do that kind of daily measurement, what we're really saying is we don't value the lives of those vulnerable Manitobans. We only measure what we value," he said, adding it creates uncertainty.
"Which in and of itself is a challenge to mental health and well-being, which is the last thing you want to do from a health sociology standpoint two years into pandemic governance."
Roussin said no matter the frequency of data, the main message is the same. He is urging Manitobans who are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine, including a third and fourth booster if they are able to.
"Vaccines are still the best way to protect ourselves and the people around us."
He said around 80 per cent of people ages 12 to 17 have two doses and 88 per cent of all adults have two doses. Roussin said more than half of adults have received their third dose.
He added the five to 11-year-old age range needs work as around 41 per cent have two doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Canadian Hurricane Centre says active storm season predicted for East Coast
The Canadian Hurricane Centre is predicting an active storm season off the country's East Coast this year, mainly due to record warm water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.
U.S. senators write to Trudeau asking him to meet 2% GDP defence spending commitment
A bipartisan group of 23 U.S. senators have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his country to live up to its commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence amid concerns that key members of the NATO alliance are not pulling their weight.