Manitoba warns of possible B117 exposure at Winnipeg store, 3 care homes announce COVID-19 outbreaks
Bryce Hoye | CBC News | Posted: March 17, 2021 5:31 PM | Last Updated: March 17, 2021
96 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths reported Wednesday
Manitoba public health officials announced three new outbreaks at Winnipeg personal care homes Wednesday as evidence emerged of several more cases of highly contagious coronavirus variants in the province.
They also announced 96 new COVID-19 cases, plus another nine cases involving variants of concern detected in Winnipeg. That brings Manitoba's total variant caseload to date to 64.
Officials warned of a possible exposure to B117 — the more transmissible coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K. — at a Winnipeg Costco in St. James on March 7, from 10 a.m. to noon.
They also said outbreaks have been declared at the River East Personal Care Home, Extendicare Oakview Place long-term care home and Heritage Lodge Long Term Care Home, all in Winnipeg.
There are two active cases at River East and one at Oakview, none of which appear to be variants, according to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. A spokesperson also confirmed a Heritage Lodge staff member, and later a resident, tested positive for the B117 variant in recent days. Both are isolating.
Twenty-four residents at Heritage Lodge, all of whom previously tested negative after the staff member tested positive, were retested on Tuesday, according to a WRHA spokesperson. Results are pending.
The company that runs the care home, Revera, said Wednesday most residents who were eligible have already received both vaccine doses, and staff vaccinations are ongoing. Staff are screened at the start and end of their shifts, and must take an antigen test weekly, Revera said in a statement.
No new deaths
No new deaths from COVID-19 were announced in Manitoba Wednesday. So far, 917 people have died due to the illness, most of them in the fall and this winter.
Another 2,007 COVID-19 tests were done Tuesday, bringing the total to over 550,000 since Manitoba's first cases were discovered just over a year ago.
Of the 96 new cases, more than half (51) were from the Northern Health region. Another 40 cases were from the Winnipeg area, while two cases each came from Southern Health and Interlake-Eastern health regions. One case was found in the Prairie Mountain Health region.
WATCH | Reimer says COVID-19 variants of concern won't change vaccine rollout plan:
The provincial test positivity rate declined slightly to 4.4 per cent, from 5.2 per cent Tuesday.
The number of people in hospital due to COVID-19 dipped to 149 from 151 on Tuesday. There are 21 people in intensive care with the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
Variants and vaccine rollout
The vaccination timeline has shortened considerably several times in recent weeks as the federal government continues to up the number of doses shipped to Manitoba.
Eligibility requirements dropped again Wednesday, to 73 and older for the general population or 53 and older for First Nations people. An online booking system launched Wednesday.
"Vaccines are by far the safest and most studied medical intervention in our health system," said Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of Manitoba's vaccine task force, urging those eligible to book appointments.
WATCH | Dr. Joss Reimer urges all eligible Manitobans to get immunized for COVID-19:
More than seven per cent of eligible Manitobans over 18 have received at least one shot of the vaccine.
Reimer said the three vaccines currently in Manitoba's arsenal are equally protective against the B117 variant, which makes up the majority of variant cases so far in the province.
She noted some evidence suggests vaccines might be less effective against the B1351 variant, which was first identified in South Africa, though they still offer some protection.
On Tuesday, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin confirmed the B1351 variant was in Manitoba as early as Feb. 12. Officials recently started retroactively screening all test samples for variants as far back as the beginning of February.
Government surveys suggest at least 80 per cent of Manitobans plan to get vaccinated or already have, with nine per cent expressing skepticism, said Reimer.
That ratio is encouraging, she said, and the increase in variants hasn't changed vaccine rollout plans.
"This virus could surprise. It's always changing," she said. "But that's an awfully great starting point if we can get 80 per cent of Manitobans immunized."
WATCH | Full news conference on COVID-19 | March 17, 2021: