WINNIPEG -- More than 70 health-care workers across Manitoba tested positive for COVID-19 during the week of New Years, according to the latest COVID-19 surveillance information from the province.

The surveillance data, released on Monday, shows 72 health-care workers tested positive for COVID-19 during the week of December 27 to January 2, bringing the total number of cases among health-care workers since the pandemic started to 1,666.

Of the positive COVID-19 tests in health-care workers, the majority of the infections are in Allied Health and Support Staff (57.3 per cent), followed by nurses/licensed practical nurses (29.1 per cent). Four per cent of COVID-19 cases have been in physicians or physicians in training, two per cent in first responders, and 7.7 per cent of infections among health-care workers have not been identified.

The data also shows 59 per cent of COVID-19 cases among health-care workers were contracted through close contact with a known case, and 29.5 per cent of infections are unknown. The data shows less than one per cent of cases come from travel, and 10.7 per cent of the infection sources are pending.

The province said during the week, a smaller number of new COVID-19 cases were identified. A total of 978 new laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported during the week, a decrease from 1,285 from the previous week.

An average of 1,373 Manitobans tested daily for COVID-19 during the week, down from 1,675 from the week before.

Of the new COVID-19 cases reported in the week, 62 per cent were in the Winnipeg Health Region, followed by the Southern Health Region with 14 per cent, the Northern Health Region with 13 per cent, the Interlake-Eastern Region with six per cent, and the Prairie Mountain Health Region with five per cent.

Surveillance data is compiled and released with a one-week delay to allow for accuracy, the province said.