Manitoba sees lowest single-day COVID-19 jump since October, with 82 new cases Saturday

There are 82new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba Saturday and fourmore people have died from the illness, the province says in a news release.

That's the lowest one-day increase in cases the province has seen since Oct. 19, when 80 new cases were reported.

The deaths announced Saturday include two men (in their 40s and 80s) from the Winnipeg health region.

Two women one in her 50s from the Northern Health Region and one in her 90s linked to an outbreak at Winnipeg's Concordia Place Personal Care Home have also died, the release says.

A little less than half the new cases announced Saturday (36) are in the Winnipeg health region, while 26 are in the Northern Health Region, the release says.

The remaining cases are split between the Prairie Mountain Health region (eight), and the Interlake-Eastern and Southern health regions, which both have six new infections.

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared in the dialysis unit at St. Anthony's General Hospital in The Pas, the release says, while a previously declared outbreak at Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home in Winnipeg is over.

There are now 259 COVID-19 patients in hospital in Manitoba, down by 10 from Friday. There are still 40 people in intensive care, the release says.

The latest deaths bring Manitoba's total from COVID-19 to 842.

Manitoba's five-day test positivity rate is now 6.1 per cent, up slightly from six per cent on Friday, the release says. In Winnipeg, that rate is now 3.8 per cent, up from 3.5 per cent Friday.

The province's latest update also says that starting Monday, child-care providers working in licensed child-care centres, nursery schools and family or group child-care homes will be eligible to make a rapid COVID-19 testing appointment at the Fast Pass site in Winnipeg.

Eligible early child development specialists, along withautism applied behaviour analysts and consultants, are also included in the latest round of professionals who will soon be able to access testing at the Nairn Avenue site, the release says.

Information about how to book an appointment there is available on the province's website.

There have now been 30,158 COVID-19 cases confirmed in the province since last March. Of those, 26,007 people are considered to have recovered, while 3,309 are still deemed active cases though health officials have said that number may be inflated by a data entry backlog.

There were 1,529 COVID-19 tests done in the province on Friday, which brings the province's total swabs completed since last February to 488,064.