Active northern cases decline in Manitoba, four active cases remain in Flin Flon district

COVID-19 continues to appear throughout Manitoba, but case numbers are beginning to show a decline in the north.

Active cases in northern Manitoba have gone down from 449 Tuesday to 439 cases Wednesday. Several cases that had been reported by the provincial government within the north were removed from data for the region - while 19 new cases were reported by the province within the region Dec. 9, the total case count for the region only rose by five cases.

The situation with COVID-19 in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon district was unchanged Wednesday. Four cases remain active in the district, while 29 people have had the disease and recovered. One person in the district has died due to COVID-19.

Several cases struck from the records were in the Island Lake district, where 11 cases were taken off provincial data and several new recoveries were reported. The district went from 121 active cases listed Tuesday to 104 active cases a day later, with six more confirmed recoveries.

The Pas/OCN/Kelsey has hit a milestone in its recovery from COVID-19, with its active case count dropping below 100 for the first time in over a month. The district now has 99 active cases, down from 106 Tuesday. Since the pandemic began, 290 people have had the disease in the district and recovered, while the province has recorded six deaths from COVID-19 in the district.

With numbers declining in The Pas district, the new high water marks in the north are in Island Lake and the Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake district, which both have 104 active cases listed by the province. Three new cases were reported in the Shamattawa district Wednesday. The region with the biggest day-to-day growth in cases was the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake district, where seven more cases have been reported Wednesday.

Across Manitoba, the province reported 18 deaths from the disease, all in southern Manitoba or Winnipeg. Ten of the deaths were linked to existing outbreaks at health care or seniors' facilities. For new cases, 279 net cases were added to the provincial roll Wednesday, putting the province at 5,348 active cases. Out of the 5,348 active cases, 300 people with COVID-19 are in Manitoba hospitals, with 38 of those people in intensive care.

Saskatchewan

For the first time in a while, Saskatchewan reported more new cases of COVID-19 than its eastern neighbour. The province reported 302 new cases Wednesday, along with five deaths, all in people over the age of 80.

In the far north east 2 health zone - which covers Creighton, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, Sandy Bay and other area communities, 14 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Dec. 9, bringing the region to 143 active cases as of Wednesday. According to the Angelique Canada Health Centre in Pelican Narrows, 102 cases are currently active in Pelican Narrows alone as of Dec. 8 - the community reported another 13 new cases Tuesday evening.