3 new deaths mark Manitoba's deadliest day in COVID-19 pandemic

Manitoba is reporting three more COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday, making it the province's largest single-day jump in fatalities connected with the illness.

Another 32 COVID-19 cases were also announced Wednesday. That brings the total number of active cases in Manitoba to 803 — also a pandemic record for the province.

The deaths include a woman in her 90s from Winnipeg, linked to the outbreak at the Parkview Place care home, a man in his 70s from Winnipeg and a man in his 60s from the Stonewall district, in the Interlake–Eastern health region, linked to a communal living community.

All three of those deaths involve previously announced COVID-19 cases, the province said in a Wednesday afternoon news release.

"I'll say again, our condolences to any family who has lost a family member, or any friend who's lost a friend through COVID," Premier Brian Pallister said at a news conference earlier on Wednesday.

"It's dramatically clear that all of us are in this together and we need to do everything we possibly can to protect one another through this time," he said.

"We're Manitobans, for heaven's sakes — we stand up for one another. Please, please make sure that you do that."

The death at Parkview Place marks the fourth at the downtown Winnipeg personal care home — equalling the number of deaths at Bethesda Place in Steinbach, and making Parkview and Bethesda the sites of the deadliest care home outbreaks in the province so far.

Winnipeg's Calvary Place personal care home has a total of nine confirmed cases of COVID-19, a provincial spokesperson said Wednesday, including six residents and three staff members. There have been no COVID-19 related deaths at the home.

Public health officials are also advising about possible exposures at the two Winnipeg schools — Charleswood School and St. John's-Ravenscourt.

The exposure at Charleswood happened on Sept. 24 to 25 and Sept. 28 to 30, but there is no evidence of in-school transmission, or evidence that a case was acquired in school, the province said. However, the impacted cohort is being transitioned to remote learning. 

The exposure at St. John's-Ravenscourt was on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2 and 6. Again, the province says that based on the public health investigation, there is no evidence of in-school transmission or that a case was acquired in school. Public health is reaching out to close contacts to advise self-isolation and one class will self-monitor.

The breakdown of the 32 new cases in the province:

• 2 in the Prairie Mountain Health region.
• 3 in the Southern Health region.
• 5 in the Interlake–Eastern health region.
• 22 in the Winnipeg health region.

There are now 25 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Manitoba — six of whom are in intensive care.

The total number of deaths related to COVID-19 in Manitoba is now 27.

A COVID-19 cluster has also been identified at the Metropolitan Kiwanis Courts, an assisted retirement living facility on Ness Avenue in Winnipeg. As a result, the site is moving to restricted (orange) level on Manitoba's pandemic response system.

Meanwhile, public health officials have declared the outbreak at the Hillcrest Place personal care home in Brandon to be over. The site has returned to the caution (yellow) level on response system.

Manitoba has reported 2,278 COVID-19 cases since the first cases in the province were announced in March. Of those, 1,448 have recovered. The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 2.4 per cent.

There were 2,395 tests completed Tuesday — a new one-day high for tests — bringing the total number of lab tests in Manitoba since early February to 197,988.

On Wednesday, Pallister promised more testing sites to address long waits. In Winnipeg, people have been forced to stand in lines or sit in their cars for hours for a COVID-19 swab at one of five sampling stations.

"Our government's not happy with the lack of action on our own part, so we're taking steps right now," he said. "There'll be additional testing sites, some of which have been announced, [and] there'll be more."

The premier said he's also pushing for existing test sites to be open longer.

As previously announced, beginning Wednesday, masks must be worn in all doctors' offices and community service providers affiliated with Manitoba's health regions. Accommodations do exist, though, for those who are not able to wear a mask for medical reasons, the province said in its news release.

And starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, new rules — previously announced — take effect at licensed restaurants and bars in the Winnipeg area.

They include early cutoff times for liquor and dine-in service and a requirement for staff to obtain contact information, in writing, from at least one person per table. The information must be retained for 21 days, after which it must be destroyed.

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