Two deaths linked to COVID-19 variants, 70 cases reported in Manitoba on Wednesday
Two more deaths have been reported in Manitoba, as public health identified 70 more COVID-19 cases.
The deaths reported on Wednesday include a man in his 30s from the Interlake-Eastern health region linked to an unspecified variant of concern, and a woman in her 60s from Winnipeg linked to the Alpha (B.1.1.7.) variant of concern.
These deaths bring the total number of people who have died with COVID-19 in Manitoba to 1,141. Of these deaths, 149 have been linked to variants of concern.
The province also reported 70 cases on Wednesday, along with a five-day test positivity rate of 6.2 per cent.
Of these cases, 29 were reported in Winnipeg with a five-day test positivity rate of 5.6 per cent. Twenty cases were reported in the Northern Health Region, 12 in the Southern Health region, seven in the Interlake-Eastern region, and two in the Prairie Mountain Health region.
These new cases bring Manitoba's total to 56,167, including 1,395 active cases and 53,631 recoveries.
Hospitalization and ICU numbers continued to drop on Wednesday – with 164 people infected with the virus in hospital, including 46 in intensive care (19 have active cases while 27 are no longer infectious).
Nine Manitoba ICU patients are receiving care in Ontario hospitals. Shared Health confirmed on Tuesday that a woman in her 50s who had been receiving care in Ontario had died.
READ MORE: Manitoba woman dies from COVID-19 while receiving treatment in Ontario
The province said 36 patients who had been receiving out-of-province care have since been returned to Manitoba hospitals. No COVID-19 patients were taken out of the province on Tuesday.
The province completed 1,616 laboratory tests on Tuesday, bringing the total number of tests completed since early February 2020 to 830,897.
This is a developing story. More to come.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Two people dead following severe Ontario thunderstorm
Two people were struck and killed by falling trees during a severe thunderstorm that hit most of southern Ontario Saturday afternoon.

Putin's invasion of Ukraine an 'act of madness,' former U.K. PM Blair says
The United Kingdom's former prime minister Tony Blair says Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine is an 'act of madness.' In an interview on CTV's Question Period airing Sunday, Blair said Putin doesn't appear to be the same man he knew in the early 2000s.
Flu cases on the rise in Canada despite expected fall
The federal government is reporting a sharp rise in influenza in recent months, at a time of the year when detected cases generally start to fall in Canada.
Storm topples trees in southern Ont., killing 2; warnings remain for parts of Ont., Que.
As the May long weekend kicked off, a massive thunderstorm in southern Ontario brought strong wind gusts that knocked down trees, took out power and left at least two people dead.
Youngest of 10 Buffalo shooting victims laid to rest
Roberta Drury, a 32-year-old woman who was the youngest of the 10 Black people killed at a Buffalo supermarket, was remembered at her funeral Saturday for her love for family and friends, tenacity 'and most of all, that smile that could light up a room.'
The science behind why smoke seems to follow you around a campfire
Why does smoke seem to follow you around a campfire? B.C. research scientist Kerry Anderson told CTVNews.ca the answer actually boils down to physics.
Expert's tips on what to do if you're being carjacked amid rash of Toronto incidents
Some drivers in Toronto may be feeling on edge as Toronto is dealing with a rash of violent carjackings targeting mostly high-end vehicles.
A year of trauma, catharsis and finally peace for some survivors of Kamloops school
The nightmares started last May, said Harvey McLeod, chief of the Upper Nicola Indian Band and a survivor of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
Marineland bans lawyer, filmmaker and scientist among others from entering park
Marineland has banned a number of people from its premises, some of whom have never visited the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction, days before the facility was set to open for the season.