Manitoba hits highest daily death total of 3rd wave, reporting 8 on Thursday

Manitoba public health officials announced eight deaths from COVID-19 and 297 new cases of the illness on Thursday.

That's the highest daily death total in the pandemic's third wave and the most since Jan. 19, when there were 11.

The number of Manitobans who have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic is now 1,042, including 60 deaths related to coronavirus variants of concern. Due to a data correction, a death reported on Wednesday was removed from the province's total.

The latest deaths include five peoplefrom theWinnipeg health region: three men in their 60s, including one linked to the B117variant of concern, a woman in her 60s linked theB117variant of concern and a woman in her 80s also linked to the same variant of concern,says a news release from the province.

Two deaths are people from thePrairie Mountain Health region: a woman in her 30slinked to B117variant of concern and a man in his 60slinked to a variant of concern that has not yet been identified.

The other death is a man in his 80s from the Southern Health region.

"It is a high day, from what we've seen so far in the third wave," ManitobaChief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference, where he alsoannounced an extension of the public health orders for another two weeks.

"We need to bring down these numbers. This is a strain on the health-care system. And these are eight more Manitobans we've lost now."

As he has done all week, Roussinonce again urged people to get vaccinated "and stop these transmission chains."

"We don't want to see days like this again."

The breakdown of the 297 newest cases includes 169 in the Winnipeg health region, 65 in the Southern Health region, 25 in the Northern health region and 19 in each of the InterlakeEasternandPrairie Mountain health regions.

Another 151 cases involving more contagious coronavirus variants have also been identified, according to the province's dashboard.

As well, an outbreak has been declared at the Tabor Home Personal Care Home in Morden, which has been moved to the red, or critical, level on the province's pandemic response system.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 12.6 per cent provincially (down from 13.3Wednesday) and 14 per cent in Winnipeg (down from 15).

The total number of COVID patients in hospital has increased by six since Wednesday, going upto 324, while the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units in the province dipped by one to 73.

That does not include 25 critically ill COVID-19 patients whoare currently in hospitals in Ontario, following transfers from Manitoba.There have been26 transfers in total since May 18, includingone patient who was returned Wednesday fromOwen Sound, a Shared Health spokesperson said Thursday.

That patient no longer requires critical care and has been placed in a medicine unit in Manitoba, the spokesperson said.

Including the 25 in Ontario, the total number of ManitobansinICUs due to COVID-19 is 98, with more expected to come after a spike in cases earlier this month.

Additional patients aretentatively scheduled for transfer Thursday to Ontario and, for the first time, Saskatchewan, the Shared Health spokesperson said in an email to CBC News.