Hudbay reports third Flin Flon case, district up to six active cases while northern case counts drop

Two new COVID-19 cases have surfaced in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage district. One is confirmed to be in the Flin Flon area, with Hudbay confirming a third worker at the company's Flin Flon operations has tested positive.

Provincial data released Nov. 26 shows an additional two cases in the district, bringing the district up to six total cases. At least five of those six are within the Flin Flon area - three in Hudbay employees and one case each found in workers at the Flin Flon Personal Care Home and the Northern Lights Manor.

The origin of the third Hudbay case - whether it was a close contact of the first two cases, if the person contracted the disease while at work or if the cases are entirely unconnected - is unknown.

"Hudbay was made aware of a third positive case of COVID-19 in the Flin Flon operations of the company. The individual is currently in isolation. Potential contacts are being traced by public health," reads a statement from Hudbay on the new finding.

The district has seen 14 people test positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

While numbers may be rising in the Flin Flon area, northern Manitoba as a whole is seeing numbers of active cases drop. A whopping 24 cases in The Pas/OCN/Kelsey district have been newly marked as recovered, while active cases in the district have dropped from 197 Wednesday to 174 Thursday. The Grand Rapids/Misipawistik/Moose Lake/Mosakahiken/Easterville/Chemawawin district also saw a big drop, going from 75 active cases Wednesday to 69 active cases Thursday. 

Not every district was so lucky. The Island Lake district has reported nine more active cases, the highest jump in active cases of any northern Manitoba district Thursday. The Cross Lake-Pimicikamak district has an additional four cases, bringing the district up to 50 active cases.

Thompson/Mystery Lake and Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake are seeing active cases hovering around the mid-20s - Thompson has 26 active cases, while Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake now has 27 active cases.

No further northern outbreaks or public exposures have been reported in the region. Outbreaks are still considered active at both the Flin Flon Personal Care Home and the Northern Lights Manor.

Province-wide, 381 new net cases have been reported, with almost all reported in Winnipeg and the Southern Health-Sante Sud health region. The province also reported 10 more people have died from COVID-19, ranging from a man in his 50 in Southern Health whose death is connected to an outbreak at Bethesda Regional Health Centre to three men in their 90s from Winnipeg. Of the 10 deaths, six are tied to outbreaks at health facilities.

Throughout Manitoba, 8,845 people have active COVID-19 cases. Out of that group, 307 people with COVID-19 have been hospitalized - 46 of those people are now in intensive care. Since the pandemic began, 266 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died while positive.