WINNIPEG -- The Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team (PRCT) is reporting 246 additional COVID-19 cases among Manitoba’s First Nations population, as well as four more deaths.

The PRCT released its latest numbers on Nov. 23, saying the total includes cases identified from Nov. 20 to 22.

Of these 246 new cases, 56 live on reserve and 190 live off reserve, bringing the total number of active cases among the province’s First Nations people to 1,526.

Currently, 81 of the infected individuals are in the hospital, with 20 in the ICU.

The PRCT is also reporting four new deaths, including a woman in her 70s from Winnipeg; a man in his 60s from the Northern Regional Health Authority; a man in his 30s from Winnipeg; and a man in his 40s from Winnipeg.

According to the report, the five-day test positivity rate is higher among Manitoba’s First Nations people compared to the province as a whole. The test positivity rate for on reserve First Nations people is 21 per cent, while it’s 19 per cent for those living off reserve. 

Manitoba’s five-day test positivity rate sits at 14 per cent.

Since March, there have been 2,408 cases of COVID-19 among Manitoba’s First Nations people, as well as 31 deaths.