Technical issue to blame for spike of Delta variant cases in Manitoba on Friday: Atwal
The province of Manitoba has recorded another spike in Delta variant cases, but one of the province's top doctors says a technical issue is to blame.
The provincial dashboard showed 41 more cases have been linked to the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) as of Friday, bringing the variant's total to 130 cases in Manitoba.
Dr. Jazz Atwal, the deputy chief provincial public health officer, said this increase is due to a technical issue that prevented lab results from being transmitted electronically into the public health information management system.
He said because of this, these cases on the dashboard on Friday were manually entered on June 17, and work is underway to fix the issue.
The dashboard shows of the 130 Delta variant cases, 13 are considered active, and 116 have recovered. One death has been linked to the variant.
Atwal said the Delta variant, which was first reported in India, has the potential to be more transmissible and have more severe impacts on people.
"We will continue to watch the Delta variant carefully, to make sure we are aware of the possible impacts of this variant in Manitoba," Atwal said.
"If Manitobans continue to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and both first and second dose rates continue to increase, we are likely to win this race between these new variants and the vaccine."
READ MORE: Manitoba crosses 1.1M COVID-19 vaccine doses administered; eligibility expands for second doses
As of Friday, the province has linked 14,394 cases to variants of concern – including 1,501 cases considered active and 12,769 cases linked as recovered.
There have been 124 deaths linked to variants.
READ MORE: Four COVID-19 deaths linked to variants in Manitoba, test positivity rate continues to drop
In addition to the new Delta variant cases, provincial data shows the new variant of concern cases identified as of Friday include:
- 63 more cases of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7.), which has a total of 6,205 cases;
- Five more cases of the Beta variant (B.1.351), which has a total of 57 cases;
- 23 more cases of the Gamma variant (P1), which has a total of 192 cases; and
- 34 more cases have been linked to unspecified variants, which has a total of 7,786 cases.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.