89 more COVID-19 cases, 1 more death in Manitoba on Saturday

Manitoba reports 89 more COVID-19 cases on Saturday and one death, a provincial news release says.

Of the new cases, more than half — 46 —  are in the Northern health region.

There are also 30 cases in the Winnipeg health region, six cases in the Southern health region, five cases in the Prairie Mountain health region and two in the Interlake-Eastern health region.

A man in his 80s from the Winnipeg area also died, the release said.

Manitoba's five-day test positivity rate spiked to 5 per cent, up from 4.7 per cent on Friday. In Winnipeg, that rate is 3.2 per cent, down from 3.5 the day before.

There are now 133 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Manitoba, down three since Friday. There are also 21 people in intensive care.

There are 1,155 active cases and 31,188 people have recovered from COVID-19.

There were 1,991 COVID-19 tests done in Manitoba on Friday.

No additional cases of more contagious coronavirus variants of concern are being reported, the release says.

In another development, an outbreak has been declared at Riverview Health Centre personal care home in Winnipeg. 

Meanwhile, Manitobans 67 and over, and First Nations people 47 and over, are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as of Saturday.

This update comes after three schools in the province were notified of possible exposures to more transmissible coronavirus variants, Dr. Jazz Atwal, the acting deputy chief provincial public health officer, said at a news conference Friday.

Letters have gone out to affected students and staff at O.V. Jewitt Community School and École Taché in Winnipeg and Pine Ridge Elementary School in Winkler.

Both Winnipeg school exposures are linked to close contacts of a confirmed case of a variant of concern. The source of the exposure in Winkler is unknown.

Public health officials also announced the province's first on-reserve case of a variant of concern.