Province of Manitoba Media Bulletin
December 20, 2021
Public health officials advise six new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today:
a male in his 70s from the Interlake-Eastern health region (reported Saturday);
a female in her 60s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Saturday);
a male in his 60s from the Interlake-Eastern health region (reported Saturday);
a male in his 80s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Sunday);
a male in his 70s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region linked to an outbreak at Manitoba Developmental Centre (reported Sunday);
a male in his 50s from the Prairie Mountain Health region (reported Monday).
Today's five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 8 per cent provincially and 8.1 per cent in Winnipeg. As of 9:30 a.m. today, 809 new cases of the virus have been identified since Friday: 276 cases on Saturday, Dec. 18; 333 cases on Sunday, Dec. 19; and 200 cases today. This includes: RegionCasesInterlake-Eastern health region36Northern health region67Prairie Mountain Health region57Southern Health-Santé Sud health region136Winnipeg health region513 Four cases have been removed due to data correction. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 71,590. There were 200 new cases identified in Manitoba today. Of these, 75 are in individuals who were not fully vaccinated. This includes: RegionCasesNot Fully VaccinatedInterlake-Eastern health regionfourzeroNorthern health region2814Prairie Mountain Health region16sevenSouthern Health-Santé Sud health region2316Winnipeg health region12938 Today’s data also shows:
2,183 active cases and 68,041 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
137 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 including 86 people with active COVID-19 as well as 51 people who are no longer infectious;
a total of 27 Manitoba patients receiving intensive care for COVID-19 including 21 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as six people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care;
Nine new cases of B.1.1.529 (omicron) variant have been confirmed in Manitoba for a total of 17;
2,285 laboratory tests were completed yesterday bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 1,233,761; and
the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 1,366.
Outbreaks have been declared over at:
Misericordia Health Centre, Transitional Care Unit (TCU), C5.
With the introduction of the omicron variant of concern, Manitoba is anticipating a surge in COVID-19 cases similar to that seen in other countries and provinces. Manitoba is shifting public health resources to increase vaccination rates and support treatment. For more information on the changes and additional resources, visit https://manitoba.ca/covid19/testing/monitoring/index.html.
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, for many people the fastest way 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 and eligibility criteria information can be found at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html.
A total of 2,345,656 doses of vaccine have been administered in Manitoba, including 53,414 first doses given to children ages five to 11. This represents 42.7 per cent of children in that age group. As of today, 84.4 per cent of all eligible Manitobans ages five and up have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 78.2 per cent have received two doses and 14.5 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 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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