WINNIPEG -- Manitoba's death toll climbed on Thursday as the province announced two new deaths.

Both deaths were in the Northern Health Region; a woman in her 50s and a man in his 60s.

The death count now sits at 973.

Health officials also said the province added 230 new cases, but two previously announced cases were removed due to a data error.

Manitoba's case count is up to 38,439 since March 2020.

The five-day test positivity rate is 8.3 per cent in Winnipeg and 7.2 per cent in Manitoba.

Winnipeg once again saw the largest jump in cases with 177. The Prairie Mountain Health Region had 23 cases, 14 came from the Southern Health Region, 11 are in the Northern Health Region and five are from the Interlake-Eastern Health Region.

There are 2,263 active cases in Manitoba and 35,203 people have recovered.

The variant of concern cases also went up again on Thursday as the province added 212 cases.

There are 754 active variant cases and 1,140 have recovered.

The B.1.1.7 variant first found in the United Kingdom continues to be the most dominant in Manitoba with 1,201 total cases. No new cases of the B.1.351 – 20 – or the P.1 – nine – were reported. There are 670 unspecified variant cases.

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has gone up to 80, including 28 patients in intensive care units.

Another 62 people are no longer infectious but still require care, including 13 patients in ICU.

Manitoba completed 2,941 tests for COVID-19, bringing the total to 656,519 since February 2020.