Manitoba sees record 184 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths linked to St. Boniface hospital outbreak

Manitoba announced three more deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday andreported184 new cases of the illness,setting arecord for the most cases reported in the province in a single day.

Two of the deaths a man and a womanboth in their 80s areconnected with an outbreak at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, now thedeadliest outbreak at a Manitoba hospital since the start of the pandemic.Its first death was announced over the weekend.

The third death reported Tuesday awoman in her 60sis connected withthe Parkview Place care home outbreak, which hasled to19 deaths andis the worst care-home outbreak in the province.On Monday, an official with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority confirmed the outbreak now spansmost floorsinside the care home, with121 infections between residents and staff.

At St. Boniface, 22 patients and 10 staff had tested positive as of Monday, the health authority said. The hospital on Tuesday afternoon posted a statement updatingthat number to 23 patients and 10 staff.

The statement also said a patient died at St. Bonifaceafter being transferred from Victoria General Hospital, where an outbreak announced last week in two of its family medicine units had grown to 38 peopleas of Tuesday, including 19 patients and 19 staff members. Thedeath associated with the Victoria hospitaloutbreak was not one of the three deaths announced by the province on Tuesday.

There are now 83 people in Manitoba hospitals with COVID-19three more thanon Monday including 15in intensive care.

The latest deaths bring the total connected with COVID-19 in Manitoba to 58.

The province's current five-day test-positivity rate a rolling average of the number of COVID-19 tests that come back positivecontinued its record-breaking climb, reaching 7.5 per cent on Tuesday, up from 7.1 per cent on Monday.

Cases keep climbing

The latest numbers come one day after Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin and Chief Nursing Officer Lanette Siragusa warned that rapidly rising COVID-19 cases are putting strain on the province's health system. Also on Monday,Premier Brian Pallister chastised people who do what he referred to as "dumb things,"such asholding large gatheringsor not being forthcoming with health officials about their contacts with known cases.

Public health officials in Manitoba have been trying for weeks to slow the spread of COVID-19, particularly in the Winnipeg metropolitan area and the Northern Health Region, but case numbers and hospitalizations have continued to set new daily records.

Winnipeg and surrounding communities have been at the restricted, ororange, level on the province's pandemic response system for more than four weeks now.The Northern Health Region moved to that level on Monday,reducing caps on gathering sizes and closing numerous businesses, including entertainment venues and casinos.

The provincial government hasmore than doubled fines for people who don't abide by public health orders.

Of the 184 new cases announced Tuesday, 144 are in the Winnipeg Health Region, while nine are in the Interlake-Eastern Health Region, eight are in the Northern Health Region, four arein the Prairie Mountain Health Regionand 19 are in the Southern Health Region.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Manitoba to4,532 since the start of the pandemic.

The provincial database shows that there are2,238 active cases and 2,236 people have recovered. However, Roussin has noted that the number of active cases is likely inflated because of a backlog in following up with recovered patients.

On Monday,1,721 COVID-19 lab tests were completed.

More exposures

Manitoba health officials are warning about a number of new possible exposures to COVID-19:

Cross Lake

• Oct. 18: A funeral in Cross Lake.

Norway House

• Oct. 20: A funeral in Norway House.

Notre Dame de Lourdes:

• Oct. 19 and 22: coleRgionale Notre-Dame.

Winnipeg

• Oct. 12 to14: Gonzaga Middle School.
• Oct. 13 to 15: Glenlawn Collegiate.
• Oct. 13 to 15: Tyndall Park School.
• Oct. 16: Winnipeg Transit Route 71, Sinclair to Aberdeen/Arlington, 4 p.m.
• Oct. 20: Mary Brown's Chicken & Taters, 695-1615 Regent Ave., from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Oct. 19, 21, and 22:cole Varennes.
• Oct. 19 and 20: Transcona Collegiate.
• Oct. 21 and 22:Collge Louis-Riel.