Manitoba approached record territory for new COVID-19 cases in a day once again Thursday, reporting 193 new COVID-19 cases. According to provincial data, either 10 or 11 of those new cases were found in the north.
The provincial government announced 10 cases in its daily COVID-19 briefing Oct. 29, but 11 new cases are visible on the province’s own online COVID-19 dashboard. The Reminder has contacted Manitoba health officials for clarification.
One new active case has been found in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon health district. The location of the new case is unknown - no municipalities within in the district have announced any new cases within their communities - as is whether the new case is connected to existing cases in Snow Lake.
Two cases of COVID-19 were previously announced within Snow Lake, both within Hudbay employees. Provincial health data Oct. 28 included only one COVID-19 case in the district and two recoveries, while the numbers Thursday showed two active cases and two recoveries.
Meanwhile in northern Saskatchewan, one case has been found in the far north east 2 health district - the district that includes Creighton, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, Sandy Bay and other area communities. The community had reported two cases previously in the outbreak, with both within people who lived in the district near Flin Flon. Both people recovered and no further community spread was reported.
It is unknown where in the district the case is. A possible exposure was reported within the district earlier this month when a person attended a funeral in Pelican Narrows and later tested positive - as of this week, no confirmed cases in the community had been linked to the funeral exposure.
Back in northern Manitoba, four new cases were reported in both the The Pas/Kelsey/OCN and Cross Lake/Pimicikamak districts. Both Thompson/Mystery Lake andÌýBunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake districts have one new case each.
Another possible exposure was reported at Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas, the third such event to take place at the school in the past few weeks.Ìý
"Manitoba public health officials advised Margaret Barbour Collegiate on October 28 of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school on October 16 when the individual may have been infectious," reads a letter from the NHR that was sent home to parents Oct. 28.
"Based on the public health investigation, this exposure was assessed to be low risk due to the thorough and consistent application of COVID-19 prevention measures. Public health does not consider this infection to be school-acquired at the present time."
As of Oct. 29, there are 11 health districts in northern Manitoba with active cases of COVID-19. The Pas/Kelsey/OCN leads the way with 32 active cases and six recoveries, while Cross Lake/Pimicikamak has reported 14 active cases, four more than Wednesday according to provincial numbers. No cases have yet been marked as "recovered" in Cross Lake.
Thompson/Mystery Lake is back down to single digits in active cases, now reporting eight. Thirty-five people have been diagnosed with the disease in the region, with 27 of those people having recovered. Five cases are listed as "unknown district" cases.
The Bunibonibee district now has three active cases, up one from Wednesday, while Island Lake also has three active cases. The Flin Flon district, along with Lynn Lake/Leaf Rapids/O-Pipon-Na-Piwin/Granville Lake, both have two active cases. Bay Line, Norway House and Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake districts each have one active case.
Within the NHR, four people are in hospital with COVID-19.
Province-wide, Manitoba has a five-day test positivity rate of 7.8 per cent - 3,375 people were tested in Manitoba Wednesday. New outbreaks have been declared at the medicine unit of Steinbach's Bethesda Regional Health Centre and KeKiNan Centre in Winnipeg, with another outbreak linked to College Louis-Riel in Winnipeg. Seven cases have been linked to the school and 10 cohorts from the school are now self-isolating.
The province reported another death due to COVID-19, a man in his 80s from Â鶹´«Ã½AVern Health-Sante Sud. Out of the province's 2,409 active cases, 1,939 of those cases are in Winnipeg. Ninety-seven Manitobans are now hospitalized with COVID-19, with 17 of those people in intensive care.
Manitoba was one case short of hitting the province's record new case mark Thursday - the province reported 194 cases on Monday.
In Saskatchewan, the province reported their single highest new case amount to date, announcing 82 new COVID-19 cases throughout the province.Ìý Nine separate districts announced new cases Oct. 29, led by Saskatoon (37 new cases) and Regina (13 new cases). The province is up to 707 active cases, including 27 in the far north east district, almost all of which are in the far north east 1 district covering La Ronge and surrounding areas.
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