WINNIPEG -- The province has reported 12 more Manitobans have died of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, many of which are linked to outbreaks at hospitals and care homes.

For more than a month straight, Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, has listed off a growing list of Manitobans who have died of COVID-19 every single day.

Tuesday saw that grim trend continue, as Roussin reported the deaths of 12 more people.

These deaths include:

  • A man in his 60s from the Winnipeg health region and linked to the outbreak at St. Boniface Hospital, Unit E6;
  • A man in his 60s from the Winnipeg health region and linked to the outbreak at Health Science Centre unit A4;
  • A woman in her 60s from the Winnipeg health region and linked to the outbreak at St. Norbert personal care home;
  • A woman in her 60s from the Winnipeg health region;
  • Two men in their 70s from Southern Heath–Santé Sud health region;
  • A woman in her 70s from the Northern health region;
  • A man in his 80s from the Southern Heath–Santé Sud health region and linked to the outbreak at the Villa Youville personal care home;
  • A man in his 80s from the Southern Heath–Santé Sud health region and linked to the outbreak at Oakview Manor;
  • A man in his 80s from the Winnipeg health region and linked to the outbreak at Parkview Place;
  • A man in his 90s from the Prairie Mountain Health region and linked to the outbreak at the Fairview Personal Care Home; and
  • A woman in her 90s from the Southern Heath–Santé Sud health region and linked to the outbreak at the Rest Haven Nursing Home.

Roussin said the province defines COVID-19 deaths as someone who has died and has tested positive for COVID-19 unless health officials can clearly say it was not responsible for the death.

"If COVID-19 was at all related to it, then we would consider that a COVID-related death," Roussin said.

He said, as an example, if someone died in a car crash and had tested positive for COVID-19 – it would not be counted as a COVID-19 death.

Since March, 248 people have died of COVID-19 in Manitoba.

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 MAY BE LOWER THAN RECOVERIES, ROUSSIN SAYS

These cases bring Manitoba's total number of cases to 14,558 since March, though the province removed five cases from the total on Tuesday due to a data correction.

The province also reported 280 more people have recovered from COVID-19 as of Tuesday, which brings Manitoba's total recoveries to 5,633.

The province reported the number of active cases is 8,677, but Roussin said the actual number of active cases might be much lower.

He said if the number excludes those in hospital and accounts for unreported recoveries – which are considered 10 days after symptom onset – then the number of active cases would be 3,363 active cases.

There are now 292 people in hospital due to the virus, including 47 people in intensive care.

MANITOBANS NEED TO BRING THE NUMBERS DOWN, TOP DOCTOR SAYS

"We all know we need to bring these numbers down," Roussin said, adding the caseloads are straining the health-care system.

"It does require us to limit a lot of things we love to do, but right the message is really clear – we need to stay home as much as possible."

Roussin said the more people stay home, the fewer contacts each case will have, which will lead to a drop in Manitoba's surging cases.

He reported 476 new cases of COVID-19, which have pushed Manitoba's five-day test positivity rate to the highest it has ever been, reaching 14.2 per cent on Tuesday.

The majority of the cases are in the Winnipeg health region, which reported 257 cases of COVID-19 and has a test-positivity rate of 13.9 per cent.

The other cases reported on Tuesday include:

  • 37 cases in the Interlake-Eastern health region;
  • 38 cases in the Northern health region;
  • 33 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region; and
  • 111 cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region.

This is a developing story. More to come.