One new COVID-19 case, four recoveries found in Flin Flon district, northern cases see decline

One new case of COVID-19 has been reported in the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon district - but four people in the district have recovered from the disease.

Updated provincial data released Dec. 1 showed 11 cases were active in the district, down from 14 Monday, with 17 people having recovered from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The district has seen 28 total cases including all recoveries and active cases, up from 27 Monday.

Outbreaks have still been designated for the Flin Flon Personal Care Home and the Northern Lights Manor by provincial and regional health officials. Two residents and a staff member have tested positive at the manor, while one staff member has tested positive at the care home. Visits to both sites have been restricted. Five people have tested positive within Hudbay operations in Flin Flon.

Northern Manitoba's COVID-19 situation showed signs of improvement Tuesday. Within the north, 22 new cases were reported but active cases dropped from 477 Monday to 466 Tuesday, thanks to a boom in recoveries. Three northern districts reported an increase in active cases - four more net cases in Norway House, three in Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake and two in Thompson/Mystery Lake - but all other northern regions either reported no change in active case levels or a decrease in active cases. 

Out of all northern regions, The Pas/OCN/Kelsey continues to have the most cases - 167 people have active cases within the district, with 208 people having recovered. Three people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the district have died. Two new possible public exposures were announced for the district, both at schools - health officials have advised that people who tested positive were at Kelsey Community School in The Pas between Nov. 23-26 and Opasquia School in The Pas Nov. 23 when they may have been infectious. Neither case is believed to have been contracted from within the school and both have been assessed as "low risk" by health officials, but close contacts have been identified and asked to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms.

The Island Lake district has 77 active cases, down from 79 active cases Monday. The Grand Rapids/Misipawistik/Moose Lake/Mosakahiken/Easterville/Chemawawin district, which has seen wide community spread within Moose Lake/Mosakahiken Cree Nation, is down to 62 active cases, while Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake has 47 active cases, spurred largely by community spread on Shamattawa First Nation. The community is seeking military assistance to shut down spread within Shamattawa.

Cross Lake/Pimickamak district has 32 cases active and has seen a drastic reduction in recent days. While provincial statistics have not yet shown it, leaders from Cross Lake First Nation said last week that no active cases of COVID-19 were remaining in the community. An outbreak notice for Cross Lake First Nation was lifted Dec. 1, moving the area back to similar "red" level restrictions as the rest of the province.

There are now 32 active cases in Thompson/Mystery Lake, up from the low double digits in mid-November, while 11 cases in the Northern Health Region (NHR) are marked as "unknown district".

Province-wide, Manitoba reported 16 more deaths from COVID-19, all in southern communities. Eight of the deaths are linked to outbreaks at seniors' homes and health facilities. Another 282 new net cases of COVID-19 have been reported throughout Manitoba, with 9,066 cases active, 338 people with COVID-19 in hospital and 48 people in intensive care with the disease. Since the pandemic began, 328 Manitobans have died from COVID-19.