Flin Flon district active cases jump from six to 13, north sees highest one-day case hike

There are now 13 active cases of COVID-19 in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage health district.

The district has hit its highest number of cases to date, reporting eight new cases of the disease Nov. 27. The region now has nine recoveries from the disease since the pandemic began, including one new recovery. No deaths have been reported in the district. Outbreaks are still considered active at both the Flin Flon Personal Care Home and the Northern Lights Manor, where at least one staff member has tested positive - no confirmed cases have been reported in residents. At least three COVID-19 cases have been reported in Hudbay operations in the Flin Flon area within the last two weeks.

More COVID-19 cases were reported in the Northern Health Region (NHR) Nov. 27 than ever before during the pandemic - 74 in all. The region saw its highest-ever one-day new case mark on a day when the province reported 334 new cases. Fourteen more people have died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, all in southern Manitoba. In the past five days, 14.5 per cent of all Manitobans who have been tested for COVID-19 have come up positive.

During the Nov. 27 media briefing, Manitoba chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said many of the cases aren't new to health officials - some of the cases were previously reported as positive through rapid tests, then confirmed by more in-depth lab testing, which take longer to process than rapid tests.

Throughout northern Manitoba, the region saw a net increase of 10 active cases, due to large increases in some districts and high numbers of recoveries elsewhere. The region with the largest decrease in active cases was Cross Lake/Pimicikamak, which is now reporting 34 active cases one day after reporting 50 active cases. Offsetting that were new totals from the Grand Rapids/Misipawistik/Moose Lake/Mosakahiken/Easterville/Chemawawin district, which reported 36 new cases, including 13 net new cases. Within the district, 82 people currently have COVID-19. Roussin described the situation in the district - almost exclusively in the community of Moose Lake/Mosakahiken Cree Nation, not far from The Pas - as an "outbreak", but the province has not considered the area as an outbreak site despite community spread of the dise

The district with the most active cases remains The Pas/OCN/Kelsey, which saw another increase in active cases. The district now has 179 people with active COVID-19 cases, up from 174 Thursday. Eight more people have recovered from COVID-19 recently in the region.