More than 700 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Manitoba, 23 deaths reported since Friday

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Manitoba have increased over the weekend with more than 700 people in hospital with the virus.

According to the provincial COVID-19 dashboard, there are 716 people in hospital with COVID-19 as of Monday. This is a jump of 52 hospitalizations since the last update on Friday. Of the current hospitalizations, the province said 650 people have active cases.

The number of people in the intensive care unit with COVID-19 decreased by one to 49 patients as of Monday, compared to the last update on Friday. Of those in ICU, 44 have active cases.

The province said trends for the week ending Jan. 20, show COVID-19 hospitalizations decreased by 0.3 per cent compared to the previous week, though intensive care unit cases increased by 8.1 per cent.

The province completed 1,985 laboratory tests on Sunday, with the five-day provincial test positivity rate at 33.3 per cent as of Monday.

The province reported 536 new cases on Monday, though the province said it is important to note the reported cases include those confirmed by a PCR test or a rapid test given by a healthcare professional.

"Positive test results from rapid antigen tests, which people generally do at home, are not collected or reported," the province said in a COVID-19 bulletin. "As a result, these numbers are an under-reporting of COVID-19 in the community."

The cases on Monday bring Manitoba's total number of reported cases in the pandemic to 116,133, including 38,691 reported active cases and 75,927 reported recoveries.

The provincial dashboard shows 23 deaths have been reported since the last update on Friday, including nine deaths on Saturday, 11 deaths on Sunday, and three deaths on Monday. This brings the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 1,515.

The deaths reported on Saturday include:

• A woman in her 70s from Prairie Mountain Health;
• Three women in their 70s and a man in his 80s from the Winnipeg health region;
• A woman in her 90s from Winnipeg linked to the outbreak at Oakview Place personal care home;
• A man in his 90s and a woman in her 80s from Prairie Mountain Health linked to the outbreak at Hillcrest Place; and
• A man in his 70s from the Winnipeg health region linked to the outbreak at Deer Lodge Centre Tower 7.

The deaths reported Sunday include:

• A woman in her 60s, a man in his 80s, and two women in their 90s, all from the Winnipeg health region;
• A man in his 70s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
• Two men in their 50s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud;
• A woman in her 80s from Winnipeg linked to the outbreak at West Park Manor personal care home;
• A woman in her 90s from Winnipeg linked to the outbreak at Misericordia Health Centre;
• A man in his 80s from Winnipeg, linked to an outbreak at Health Sciences Centre, GA3 surgery; and
• A woman in her 90s from Prairie Mountain Health linked to an outbreak at Rideau Park personal care home.

The deaths reported on Monday include a man and woman in their 70s and a man in his 80s, all from Winnipeg.