Manitoba's five day testing positivity rate for COVID-19 has crept up to a new high. In the past five days, one out of every 32 people tested has come up positive for the disease.
Another 25 cases of COVID-19 were reported in the province, with four out of the five health regions reporting at least one case. The Northern Health Region was the only region to not report a case.
Nine new cases were reported in Winnipeg, with eight in the Prairie Mountain Health region, seven in Southern Health-Sante Sud and one in the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority.
The province's current five day test positivity rate has climbed up to 3.1 per cent, above a threshold previously mentioned by provincial chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin as a point where "significant community-based transmission" would be likely. The province has said the higher than normal test positivity rate is due to targeting tests toward people showing symptoms and people who have been close to existing cases and clusters. Manitoba processed 1,206 tests Tuesday. Testing in Manitoba has been limited only to people showing possible COVID-19 symptoms or people referred by health care providers.
In total, the province has 408 active cases of COVID-19 and has had a total of 1,043 cases since the pandemic began. The province currently has the highest per-capita rate of new cases of any Canadian province.
Three locations were announced by the province where people may have been exposed to COVID-19 - a Brandon-area Goodlife Fitness from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. August 18-19, at the Coffee Culture Cafe and Eatery in Brandon from 2 p.m.-8 p.m. August 18 and at the Foxtail Cafe in Wasagaming August 11 and August 14-17. Anyone who attended the businesses during those times is asked to isolate and self-monitor for symptoms.
On the Saskatchewan side, the province reported its 24th death from COVID-19 after a person in their 50s died from the disease. The person lived in the south west region, which currently has more active cases than any other region in the province.
Another three cases were reported in Saskatchewan Wednesday, paired with a whopping 30 recoveries from the disease. Saskatchewan is now down to 60 active cases, with 24 of those cases in "communal living settings". No cases in the far north are considered active, while north Saskatchewan has 10 remaining active cases. Since the pandemic began 1,604 in Saskatchewan have tested positive for COVID-19.
