Severe COVID-19 outcomes increase in latest Manitoba report

Manitoba reported more severe outcomes from COVID-19 in its latest update, after a drop in hospitalizations and deaths the week before.

The province's latest report, which was released Thursday and covers the week of Aug. 21 to 27, says 10 more deaths have been added to Manitoba's pandemic total, bringing that number to 2,115.

That's a slightly smaller increase than the 12 deaths recorded in last week's update.

During the latest reporting period, 67 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, up from 60 the week before.

Of those, nine were admitted to intensive care units, up slightly from eight the previous week.

As of Aug. 16, wastewater surveillance data for Winnipeg indicated ongoing activity of COVID-19, with activity decreasing from higher levels seen in late July, the province's report said.

The number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Manitoba was also up from the previous week, with 622 for the week ending Aug. 27 compared to 473 the week before.

However, those numbers are believed to be a significant undercount of the true number of infections, due to limited access to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the only type of test recorded by public health.

The province's weekly test positivity rate was down slightly to 22.1 per cent, compared to 23.9 the week before.

There were also 12 outbreaks reported: nine in long-term care facilities and three in hospitals.