20 deaths, 84 more COVID-19 hospitalizations in Manitoba over weekend

Another 20 people have died from COVID-19 in Manitoba, and hospitals took in 84 more patients over the weekend, according to the province's online dashboard.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units increased by two to 47. The total number of patients in ICUs, including those being treated for issues other than COVID-19, reached 107 — the highest since the third wave.

There are currently 601 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Manitoba.

Manitoba's five-day test-positivity rate dropped to 34.5 per cent from 42.6  per cent on Friday.

Two of the latest deaths — a man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s from the Winnipeg Health region — were reported on Saturday.

Another 12 deaths were reported on Sunday. Three of those deaths — a man in his 100s, a man in his 90s and a man in his 70s — were in the Prairie Mountain Health region.

The rest of the deaths on Saturday were in the Winnipeg region, including a man in his 50s, a man and a woman in their 60s, a man in his 80s, and four women and a man in their 90s.

Three of the women in their 90s were connected with outbreaks at facilities including at West Park Manor and Actionmarguerite St. Vital in Winnipeg, and Prairie View Lodge in Crystal City.

There were six deaths reported on Monday. Five of those were in Winnipeg, including a man and a woman in their 90s, a man in his 80s connected with an outbreak at the Actionmargeurite St. Boniface personal care home, a woman in her 70s connected with an outbreak at the Oakview Place care home, and a man in his 70s.

The other death reported Monday, a woman in her 60s, was in the Southern Health region.

This brings Manitoba's COVID-19 death toll to 1,463.

Another 717 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed by lab tests on Monday, although health officials have said the true number of infections in the province is much higher, because many cases go unreported due to limited testing capacity.

The provincial government has limited access to PCR testing to a few selected groups who are at higher risk from COVID-19. The majority of people visiting testing sites are given rapid antigen tests, and, with some exceptions, do not have to follow up with a PCR test, even if the rapid test shows a positive result.

Of those new cases, 375 are in the Winnipeg Health region, 111 are in Prairie Mountain, 84 are in Southern Health, 88 are in the Northern Health region and 59 are in Interlake-Eastern.