WINNIPEG -- Nearly 30 more of Manitoba’s healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the province’s latest surveillance data from Oct. 11 to Oct. 17, 156 healthcare workers have contracted the disease since the start of the pandemic, which is 27 more than the week before.

Of these workers, 47 are healthcare aides, 36 are nurses, 12 are social/support workers, nine are physicians/physicians in training, five are dietary aides, five are lab and x-ray technicians, five are medical clerks, four are pharmacists, and 33 fall into a combined category.

The data, which is used to monitor the intensity, characteristics, transmission, and geographical spread of COVID-19, shows that 90 of these healthcare workers contracted COVID-19 through close contact with a known case, 11 got it through travel, and for the rest of the cases, the source is unknown.

In total, 118 healthcare workers have recovered from COVID-19.

The surveillance data also shows that between Oct. 11 and Oct. 17, 13 pregnant Manitobans tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total of pregnant cases to 36.

The number of outbreaks also increased compared to the week before, going from 30 to 35. Three of these outbreaks were at long-term care facilities.

The numbers show that between Oct. 11 and Oct. 17, there 659 lab-confirmed cases of the disease reported in Manitoba, which is a spike of 157 cases from the previous of week.

The volume of lab tests decreased to 2.273 a day, down from 2,419 the week before, but the test positivity rate increased from 3.4 per cent to 4.5 per cent.

Of the 659 new cases, 76 per cent of them were from Winnipeg Regional Health and 10 per cent were from the Southern Health - Santé Sud Regional Health Authority. The Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority also reported eight per cent of the cases, the Prairie Mountain Health Authority reported three per cent, and the Northern Health Region also accounted for three per cent.

The province also reported that more than half of the cases since the start of the pandemic contracted COVID-19 through close contact with a known case, while 7.2 per cent got it through travel. For 18.2 per cent of cases, the source of infection is unknown, and for 23.3 per cent the investigation is pending.