WINNIPEG – COVID-19 Update – Manitoba public health officials advise the 38th death due to COVID-19 has been reported, a male in his 40s from the Winkler district in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region. The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 4.9 percent and 173 new cases of the virus have been identified as of 9:30 am CDT on October 15, 2020, bringing the total number of cases in Manitoba to 3,098.
Today’s data shows:
• six cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region;
• three cases in the Northern health region;
• eight cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
• 23 cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region; and
• 133 cases in the Winnipeg health region.
The data also shows:
• 1,527 active cases and 1,533 individuals have recovered from COVID-19;
• there are 25 people in hospital and five people in intensive care; and
• the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 38.
Laboratory testing numbers show 2,117 tests were completed yesterday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February to 217,878. Case investigations continue and if a public health risk is identified, the public will be notified.
As COVID-19 activity increases, licenced personal care homes (PCHs) in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region have been elevated to Critical (red) in the Pandemic Response System. This means any new PCH admission will remain isolated for 14 days upon arrival and there will be no new admission to a PCH with a suspected or confirmed outbreak will be paused unless the new resident is already confirmed to be COVID-19 positive.
Public health officials advise that with the increase in cases, the number of possible exposures continues to rise. There have been 10 possible exposures at schools in Winnipeg, additional exposures in other settings in the Southern Health–Santé Sud and Prairie Mountain health regions as well as on a Winnipeg Transit bus, one school bus and two flights.
Flight information is listed at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/updates/flights.html.
For up-to-date information on possible public exposures to COVID-19 within regions, visit:
• Interlake–Eastern health region:
• Northern health region: www.manitoba.ca/covid19/restartmb/prs/northern/index.html#exposure
• Prairie Mountain Health region:
• Southern Health–Santé Sud health region:
• Winnipeg health region:
The YWCA in Thompson has moved to Critical status (red), with five cases linked to the facility. The outbreak at Maplewood Manor in Winnipeg is considered over and the facility has moved to yellow from red on the pandemic response system.
The chief provincial public health officer strongly encourages Manitobans to reduce the number of close contacts outside their household, and avoid closed-in or crowded spaces. In addition, they should focus on these fundamentals to help stop the spread of COVID-19:
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Wash/sanitize your hands and cover your cough.
• Physically distance when you are with people outside your household.
• If you cannot physically distance, wear a mask to help reduce the risk to others or as required by public health orders.
Unless recommended by public health officials, only individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should go for testing. Individuals with symptoms are asked to seek testing as soon as possible once symptoms are present. Employers are asked to only send employees for testing if they have symptoms or if testing has been recommended by public health officials.
Manitobans are reminded the designated drive-up COVID-19 testing site at the Dauphin Community Health Services Building parking lot will cease operations at 3 p.m. today, Oct. 15. A new indoor walk-up testing site will open tomorrow Friday, Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at 301 Main St. North (former Potoski Medical Clinic building). Regular hours of operation at this location remain the same as they were at the previous site, which are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with it being closed for one hour at lunch.
