Northern Manitoba continues to see increases in COVID-19 cases. As of Nov. 2, the region now has 155 people with active cases of the disease.
Two cases are still active in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage health district - both are believed to be in the Snow Lake area and no known community spread has taken place. No locations, events or businesses have been listed as possible exposure sites in the district.
After months with no new cases at all, the province has reported double-digit increases in total cases each day since Oct. 28.
The epicentre of the outbreak continues to be the The Pas/OCN/Kelsey health district - 70 people have active cases of the disease within the district, while 15 others have had COVID-19 and later recovered. The second-largest number of cases is within the Cross Lake/Pimicikamak district, where 32 people are actively ill with COVID-19. Twenty northern cases are listed as 鈥渦nknown district鈥�, indicating full contact tracing and health investigations have not yet been completed.聽
Other northern districts have either four cases or less, with four cases active in the Island Lake district, three in the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake and Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake districts and two each in the Lynn Lake/Marcel Colomb/Leaf Rapids/O-Pipon-Na-Piwin/Granville Lake and Flin Flon districts. One case is active in the Bay Line, Grand Rapids/Misipawistik/Moose Lake/Mosakahiken/Easterville/Chemawawin and Norway House districts.
Province-wide
October has proven to be Manitoba鈥檚 deadliest month yet during the COVID-19 pandemic. In just 31 days, 58 people died from the disease and nearly 3,500 Manitobans have active cases.
The province announced the five-day test positivity rate had hit its highest point yet, with nine per cent of all COVID-19 tests conducted five days before Nov. 2 turning up positive. Province-wide, 124 people are in hospital with COVID-19 - 18 of those people are in intensive care.
Five more people were announced as having died from COVID-19 Nov. 2, all women from the Winnipeg area - a woman in her 50s with no apparent ties to active outbreaks, and women in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, each with ties to four separate health care facility and seniors鈥� home outbreaks. Since the pandemic began, 80 Manitobans have died from COVID-19. A total of 23 deaths have been tied to an outbreak at only one Winnipeg-area seniors鈥� residence - Parkview Place - while six deaths have been tied to an outbreak at The Maples personal care home.
Within Winnipeg, the test positivity rate has climbed up to 9.8 per cent over the past five days - 2,603 Winnipeggers have active cases of COVID-19 as of Nov. 2.
Since the pandemic began, 6,275 Manitobans have tested positive for COVID-19.
In a press conference Nov. 2, Premier Brian Pallister said the province may institute curfews for Winnipeg residents, citing soaring case numbers. The Premier also advised the public to cut back on contacts and gatherings, while stating he did not support a full lockdown within Winnipeg, arguing that mask use and gathering size limits would be sufficient to fight the spread.
Pallister also announced a change in the province鈥檚 rules on COVID-19 isolation. Starting Monday, an entire household will need to self-isolate if one person within the household shows possible COVID-19 symptoms.
Manitoba鈥檚 health care system is beginning to feel the strain of COVID-19, with 75 of 80 available intensive care beds now occupied. According to Lanette Siragusa, Shared Health Manitoba chief nursing officer, the province is at 94 per cent capacity for intensive care beds and 11 of the 18 COVID-19 patients in intensive care are on ventilators. Fifty health-care workers in Manitoba have tested positive in the past week, most of whom are in Winnipeg.
Over one hundred school exposures have been reported within the Winnipeg health district since the school year began.
Two separate letters have been sent to Pallister from Manitoba doctors calling for stronger provincial action to stem the tide of COVID-19 and asking for emergency funding and resources. The second letter, dated Nov. 1, was signed by over 200 doctors and medical professionals in Manitoba.
鈥淥ver the last several weeks, we have watched our COVID pandemic spiral out of control, with a test positivity rate of 8.9% and mathematical modelling from jurisdictions around the world showing we are in grave peril. In twelve weeks, our numbers have become the worst in the country, the outbreak at Parkview Place had claimed 22 lives as of October 31, and our existing ICU beds are now full,鈥� reads the second letter.
鈥淚n news briefings, we often hear updates about 鈥渃apacity鈥�. We want to emphasize that聽 capacity is not just where people can be 鈥渒ept鈥� or cared for when they are sick. Capacity also includes the physical toll and exhaustion being encountered chronically across聽 nursing, medical, lab and hospital staff.聽 In this regard, we believe you have聽 overestimated the capacity of our healthcare workers. We are deeply worried for our聽 patients and the health of Manitobans in the weeks and months that lie ahead.鈥�
In the letter, the physicians also voice concern over how the province has relayed information to health workers and the public and the province鈥檚 resource for contact tracing and case investigations.
鈥淲e are also concerned that Dr. Brent Roussin has neither the budget nor the resources to adequately protect our population from this virus. It is clear that public health is overwhelmed, lacks the power to complete timely contact tracing and is unable to provide timely results because testing capacity has been overwhelmed,鈥� the letter reads.
鈥淧ublic Health is also hampered by a communication strategy that suggests they lack the resources to meaningfully educate our public. We also believe that public health should be at arm鈥檚 length from central government.鈥�
