WINNIPEG -- Nearly 200 more of Manitoba’s health-care workers tested positive for COVID-19 in the span of a week.

According to the province’s latest COVID-19 and influenza surveillance report, which reports the numbers from Dec. 6 to Dec. 12, a total of 1,348 health-care workers have contracted the disease since the start of the pandemic. This is 199 more workers than the province reported the week before.

The province noted that 1,141 of these workers have recovered from the disease.

Of these 1,348 workers, 769 are allied health and support staff, 394 are nurses/licensed practical nurses, 52 are physicians/physicians in training, and 27 are first responders. The occupations of 106 of these workers are not identified.

As for how these workers contracted the disease, 58.5 per cent got it from close contact with a known case and one per cent got it due to travel-related reasons. For 12.1 per cent of health-care workers the source of infection is pending, while for 28.4 per cent it is unknown.

The surveillance data also shows an increase in the number of pregnant Manitobans who have contracted COVID-19, as well as the number of outbreaks. The latest numbers show 199 pregnant people have tested positive for the virus, which is up six cases compared to the week before. 

The province is also reporting Manitoba has experienced 135 COVID-19 since outbreaks the beginning of the pandemic, an increase of five outbreaks from the week prior. The numbers show that one of these new outbreaks was at a long-term care facility.

Between Dec. 6 and Dec. 12, Manitoba recorded 2,166 new cases of COVID-19, which is a decrease of 195 cases from the week before.

This week the province also saw a drop in the volume of lab tests and the test positivity rate, with an average of 2,376 people tested per day and a positivity rate of 13.1 per cent. 

Of this week’s 2,166 new cases, 57 per cent were from Winnipeg Regional Health, 15 per cent from the Northern Health Region, and 11 per cent from the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority. Southern Health - Santé Sud Regional Health Authority accounted for 10 per cent of cases and the Prairie Mountain Health Authority for seven per cent.

Since the pandemic began, 52.3 per cent of the province’s cases are from close contact to other cases, while 1.5 per cent are from travel. For 22.1 per cent of Manitoba’s COVID-19 cases the source of infection is still being investigated and for 24.1 per cent it’s unknown.

SEASONAL INFLUENZA

In the province’s surveillance report, it says a large number of respiratory specimens have been tested for seasonal influenza since Sept. 1

Between Dec. 6 and 12, there was one laboratory-confirmed case of influenza B in Manitoba.

The province notes as of Dec. 11, about 28 per cent of Manitoba residents have been immunized with the seasonal influenza vaccine.