Eleven new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Northern Health Region - including a case in the health district that includes Flin Flon.
The province announced 110 new cases were found in Manitoba as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, with 11 new cases found in the north. One case has been announced in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon health district.
It is unknown if this case is related to an instance reported by the Town of Snow Lake Oct. 19, where the town said in a statement that a contractor from Thompson had tested positive for the disease and had recently been in Snow Lake. Since that case was in a Thompson resident, the case would have been filed as a case in the Thompson/Mystery Lake health district.
“Contact tracing and identification of individuals affected by being in contact with this person has been completed and those individuals have been sent home to isolate as a precaution… public health has said that the risk to the general population of Snow Lake is low,” reads an Oct. 19 statement from the Town of Snow Lake, signed off on by Mayor Peter Roberts.
The Northern Health Region (NHR) did not confirm the community of origin of the case reported by the province Oct. 20 or whether the case reported Tuesday was the same as the case previously announced in Snow Lake.
"We can tell you that public health is managing the case and conducting the contact tracing. If there is public risk of exposure, public health will issue an advisory," read a statement from a NHR spokesperson.
No possible exposure sites or areas of concern have been announced by public health officials.
No statements have been issued Oct. 20 by the City of Flin Flon or surrounding communities about a new case.
The 11 new cases marks the most cases that have been reported in one day in northern Manitoba since the outbreak started. Four of the 11 new northern cases have been reported in the The Pas/OCN/Kelsey health district.
A letter was sent by the NHR to parents in The Pas, notifying them of a possible positive COVID-19 case at Scott Bateman School Oct. 19. The person who tested positive for COVID-19 was at the school Oct. 16, at a time when "the individual may have been infectious," according to the letter. Close contacts to the case have been notified and told to stay home, self-isolate and monitor for symptoms.
"Scott Bateman School is working closely with public health officials and following their recommendations," reads the NHR letter.
"Based on the public health investigation, this exposure was assessed to be low risk."
"We were notified by the [NHR] early this morning that there is a positive COVID-19 case in our community. The [NHR] has advised that the positive case is self isolating at home. Contact tracing is underway," reads a statement made by The Pas Mayor Herb Jaques online Oct. 19.
"According to the [NHR], public health has advised that the risk to the community is low at this time."
In a statement from Opaskweyak Cree Nation, the band confirmed there was a case in the community and that health officials within OCN would be working with the NHR to limit possible spread.
"Opaskweyak Cree Nation Incident Command Team has been preparing for such an event since the onset of this pandemic. Opaskweyak Health and the OCN Incident Command Team are working closely with the Northern Health Region and appropriate community partners to ensure we are all working together to contain this case."
Two new cases have been found in the Nelson House/Nisichawayasihk district near Thompson, along with two new cases in the Thompson/Mystery Lake district. One new case has been reported in the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake district in eastern Manitoba, along with another new case in the Lynn Lake/Marcel Colomb/O-Pipon-Na-Piwin/Granville Lake district.
Twelve separate districts within the NHR have at least one active case of COVID-19 as of Oct. 20.
Of the 110 cases reported in Manitoba Oct. 20, 88 of those cases have been reported in Winnipeg. Manitoba currently has 1,746 active cases of COVID-19, with most of those cases reported in Winnipeg - 1,476 in total.
Forty-two cases of COVID-19 are active in northern Manitoba, as of Oct. 20.
