8th COVID-19-related death reported in Manitoba

Another person who had COVID-19 has died in Manitoba, bringing the total number of deaths related to the disease in the province to eight.

The person was a man in his 70sfrom the Southern Healthregion, health officials said Tuesday.

The man was not previously hospitalized and is considered a new COVID-19 case,according to a news release from the province.

The province's onlineCOVID-19 data portalnotes the eighth death as occurring on July 22.

A provincial spokesperson confirmed that date, and said the death was not announced until Tuesday because public health staff were conducting a thorough investigation of the case.

The individualis a known contact of a previously reported case.No further details will beprovided for privacy reasons, the spokesperson said.

The last death related to the illness caused by the novel coronavirusin the province was on May 5 more than two-and-a-half monthsago.

Five new cases in Manitoba were identified Tuesday, including the man who died, bringingthe total number of cases identified in the province to 405.

In addition to the man in the Southern Health region, two new cases were reported in the Interlake-Eastern Health region,one in the Winnipeg health region, and one in the Prairie Mountain Health region.

No additional information was released on the new cases Tuesday. Health officials said investigations are ongoing, and information will be released as neededto inform people of any public health risks.

There are now 78 active COVID-19 cases in the province, with three people in hospital with the illness, two of whom are in intensive care.

As of Tuesday, thefive-day test positivity rate a rolling average of the percentage of completed tests that came back as positive is 0.4 per cent, down from 0.45 per cent on Monday.

The province said 735 tests were performed on Monday, bringing the total number completed since early February to 85,702.

Public health officials are also updating the potential exposure dates at the Sherwood Grocery Store in Gull Lake, Man., to July 20and 21. Officials had previously saida person had visited the store while symptomatic on July 19 as well.

The province also provided some updates on testing sites Tuesday.

The Winkler drive-thru community testing site will move from Park Street to the Southland Mall, at777 Norquay Dr. The site will be closed on Wednesday to facilitate the moveand will reopen Thursday at noon.

In addition, the Prairie Mountain Health region is setting up a temporary COVID-19 testing site from July 29 to 31 in the front parking lot at the Tri-Lake Health Centre at 86 Ellis Dr. in Killarney. The site will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.