View From the Legislature

More Information on COVID-19 Cases

  • Kelvin Goertzen, Author
  • Member of the Legislative Assembly, Steinbach

Over the last few months one of the things that most of us have discovered is that there can be a danger of getting too much information. The constant news coverage of the global pandemic has worn on many people and one of the best things about the summer months is that it allowed us to literally get away from all of the information that was weighing on our emotions.

Of course, having too little information can also be a problem as information helps us make informed choices. Finding that right balance of enough but not too much information is not easy, but it is important. And that has been one of the challenges that public health officials in Manitoba have been dealing with since the start of the pandemic.

In normal times, there is a general principle that personal health information is just that, personal. That has been extended to the point where health officials have become very reluctant to provide any details on health situations that might in any way identify individuals or groups of individuals. In fact, like most provinces, Manitoba has legislation that specifically protects personal health information.

But during the COVID-19 pandemic it has also become clear that too little information does not allow people to make informed decisions. Announcing new cases only based on health regions was becoming of little value because those regions are so large. A cluster of cases that may be announced in a region might make everyone in that region feel concerned even though there may be hundreds of kilometres separating them. This past week, after a great deal of preparation, public health officials began reporting new COVID-19 cases by smaller health districts, 68 in total. This means that in Southern Health for example, you can now go online and see the number of total and active cases in Steinbach or Hanover. This information is critical for residents to understand local risk factors.

The new information is in no way intended to result in any form of stigmatization of areas or groups of people. That should play no role in the current health emergency. It is about giving people enough information to make informed decisions about their own life activities. And, where there is a public health reason to do so, more detailed information will continue to be provided to the public which could include individual businesses or specific locations where there may have been exposure to the virus to groups of people.

You can find more information about the health district based reporting system at manitoba.ca.

As Manitoba continues to see an increase in daily reported cases, remember to look for information and the latest developments on the provincial government website. And continue to be kind to each other and to support those around you who may be going through challenging times.