[News] 126 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths reported in Manitoba

[_Happy boy]

There are 126 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, Manitoba public health officials say, as the province's test-positivity rate drops to a low not seen in over three months.

The new cases announced Wednesday follow two double-digit days so far this week.

Close to half (55) of Wednesday's cases are from the Northern Health Region, 32 are in Winnipeg, 24 are in the Interlake-Eastern health region, eight are in the Southern Health region and seven are in the Prairie Mountain Health region.

There are 3,358 active COVID-19 cases in the province, the province's data says, though health officials have said that number may be inflated due to a backlog in data entry.

Cases of variants of the novel coronavirus first reported in the United Kingdom and South Africa have not yet been detected in Manitoba, says Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba's acting deputy chief provincial public health officer.

The five-day test-positivity rate for all of Manitoba is 6.9 per cent, and in Winnipeg, it's down to 3.9 per cent. Manitoba's test-positivity rate was last this low on Oct. 25, 2020.

Manitoba aims to be ready to deliver 1.5M vaccines from April to June
The three deaths reported Wednesday actually occurred Monday, Atwal said. No death data was issued Tuesday because of a system reset.

The people who died were a woman in her 90s linked to the outbreak at Heritage Life Personal Care Home in the Southern Health region and two women from Winnipeg, one in her 70s and another in her 80s.

A total of 835 people have now died from COVID-19 in Manitoba.

There are 260 people in hospital due to COVID-19, including 34 patients in intensive care units.

COVID-19 outbreaks at Lions Prairie Manor personal care home in Portage la Prairie and Actionmarguerite St. Joseph and Park Manor personal care home in Winnipeg have been declared over.

Despite improving case numbers, it could be a few months before businesses see some return to normalcy around the workplace, Atwal said, citing uncertainties about vaccine supply in Canada and new COVID-19 cases that will still be reported each day in the meantime.

Truckers denied some essential services
Last week, new travel restrictions came into effect for people coming to Manitoba, requiring most travellers to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in the province. One of the groups exempted from that rule is truckers.

On Wednesday, Atwal said there are reports of truckers being denied access to some essential services, including public washrooms.

"This is disappointing to hear," he said. "We rely on this industry to provide the goods and services we use every day — and we likely take these services for granted.

"They offer a vital service, and for them to be treated like this is unacceptable."

Atwal urges businesses to open their facilities to these essential workers.

WATCH | Dr. Jazz Atwal talks about the importance of supporting truckers:

Doctors, pharmacists get vaccine call
The province is calling on doctors and pharmacists to register to administer COVID-19 vaccines, once more are approved by Health Canada, Manitoba Health Minister Heather Stefanson said in a news release Tuesday.

Currently, eligible Manitobans are receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, but Health Canada is reviewing submissions from companies including Novavax, a Maryland-based firm that plans to eventually produce its vaccine in a facility in Montreal owned by the National Research Council, if it's approved.

The Manitoba government is asking doctors and pharmacists who normally administer the flu vaccine to prepare for eventual delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine, Stefanson said.

Manitoba doctors, pharmacists asked to help with COVID-19 immunizations when new vaccines approved
Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for the province's vaccine implementation task force, told reporters Wednesday that the plan is similar to how flu shots are distributed, in that the physicians and pharmacists must indicate willingness to administer the shot.

"They need to register with Manitoba Health so that we know who to ship vaccine to and how much to ship to them," Reimer said. 

WATCH | Full news conference on COVID-19 | Feb. 3, 2021: