Province of Manitoba Media Bulletin
December 17, 2021
Public health officials advise three new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today:
a male in his 30s from the Interlake-Eastern health region (reported Thursday);
a female in her 50 from the Northern health region (reported Thursday); and
a male in his 80s from the Prairie Mountain Health region (reported Friday).
Today's five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 6.5 per cent provincially and 5.5 per cent in Winnipeg. As of 9:30 a.m. today, 457 new cases of the virus have been identified since Wednesday: 218 cases on Thursday, Dec. 16 and 239 cases today. This includes:
RegionCasesInterlake-Eastern health region27Northern health region50Prairie Mountain Health region57Southern Health-Santé Sud health region107Winnipeg health region216Twelve cases have been removed due to data correction. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 70,785.
There were 239 new cases identified in Manitoba today. Of these, 92 are in individuals who were not fully vaccinated. This includes:
RegionCasesNot Fully VaccinatedInterlake-Eastern health region10fourNorthern health region1610Prairie Mountain Health region3412Southern Health-Santé Sud health region7141Winnipeg health region10825Today’s data also shows:
1,799 active cases and 67,626 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
139 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 including 84 people with active COVID-19 as well as 55 people who are no longer infectious;
a total of 33 Manitoba patients receiving intensive care for COVID-19 including 24 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as nine people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care;
two new cases of B.1.1.529 (omicron) variant have been confirmed in Manitoba for a total of eight;
3,553 laboratory tests were completed yesterday bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 1,224,739; and
the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 1,360.
An outbreak has been declared at:
Meadows School, Grade 5/6 cohort, in Brandon
Faith Academy Middle School, Grade 6B, in Winnipeg.
The schools have been moved to the Restricted (Orange) level on the Pandemic Response System.
Outbreaks have been declared over at:
Third Crossing Manor personal care home.
Vaccine
To have the fullest protection possible against COVID-19 going into the holiday season, Manitobans are encouraged to get their second and third doses as quickly as possible. While COVID-19 vaccine appointments continue to be available at regional or provincial vaccine clinics, the fastest way for many people to be immunized is at a nearby medical clinic, pharmacy or urban Indigenous clinic. Check the online vaccine finder or a medical clinic or pharmacy near you that provides the COVID-19 vaccine to find the next available opportunity to be immunized.
The timeline between second and third doses is being shortened for some individuals. Anyone ages 60 or older or those ages 18 or older who live in a First Nations community who received their second dose on or before July 10 are now strongly encouraged to receive their third dose. A six-month timeframe between second and third doses continues to be recommended for most other eligible Manitobans. More information is available at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html#third.
Eligibility for first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine continues to include anyone ages five or older. Second-dose appointments can be made for children ages five to 11. The interval between first and second doses must be a minimum of eight weeks, or a minimum of 21 days for children living in First Nations communities.
A total of 2,312,458 doses of vaccine have been administered in Manitoba, including 50,677 first doses given to children ages five to 11. This represents 40.5 per cent of children in that age group. As of today, 84.2 per cent of all eligible Manitobans ages five and up have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 78.1 per cent have received two doses and 12.4 per cent have received three doses.
Many Manitoba vaccine sites as well as pharmacies and clinics are offering walk-in and appointment-based vaccination for COVID and seasonal flu. Eligible individuals can book their appointments online, by calling (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC) or by contacting their local pharmacy or medical clinic directly. Visit https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/finder.html for some of the available options.
More Resources
Vaccine campaign in Manitoba: www.manitoba.ca/vaccine and https://protectmb.ca.
Possible exposure locations by region: www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/updates/flights.html#event.
Data related to COVID-19, variants of concern, outbreaks and some downloadable and historic data: https://geoportal.gov.mb.ca/.
Up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba: www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.
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