Manitoba has reported its biggest spike in new COVID-19 cases in over four months.
The provincial government announced 30 new cases of COVID-19 were found August 6, bringing Manitoba's total number of cases up to 474 during the pandemic.
Out of the new cases, 18 new cases were found in Prairie Mountain Health, with 11 new cases reported in Southern Health-Sante Sud. The one remaining case was found in Winnipeg. All 18 cases within Prairie Mountain Health are tied to the same cluster in Brandon. Nearly one per cent of all Manitoba COVID-19 tests processed came up positive.
The number of new cases reported August 6 is the second highest one day bump in the province's rates since the pandemic began. Only one day has featured more positive cases of COVID-19, that being April 1 when 33 people tested positive.
Ten people are now in hospital province-wide with COVID-19, including five people in intensive care.
"Today's case numbers are a reminder that COVID-19 is not done with us, that we still need to take those fundamental precautions that we've learned to do so well up to now," said chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin in a media briefing with provincial health minister Cameron Friesen August 6. Friesen said earlier this week that Roussin would be off for the week, but the doctor returned to his now-typical spot at the provincial podium due to the spike.
"We've been here before and we've gotten ourselves out of this by those fundamentals. This is that reminder that Manitobans need to stick to those fundamentals and we'll flatten this curve."
Investigations by provincial health officials are ongoing, but several people working at a pork processing plant in Brandon have been confirmed by media reports to have tested positive for COVID-19. At least four people from the Maple Leaf plant have now tested positive. A report of a positive case in a child at a daycare in St. Francois Xavier has also come to light.
During the media briefing, Roussin said the cluster in Brandon was not tied to a workplace.
Possible exposure to COVID-19 on an Air Canada flight from Montreal to Winnipeg July 29, specifically from rows 16-22. Anyone on that flight is asked to self-isolate for two weeks and monitor for symptoms.
"While public health assesses the risk to be low at this point, we continue to share this type of information to keep Manitobans informed," said Roussin.
