Based on provincial data, public health officials are highlighting the following trends for the week ending Jan. 6: an average of 1,814.7 new cases per day; a total of 201 new hospitalizations, a 51.1 per cent increase from the previous week; a total of 20 new ICU cases, a 5.3 per cent increase from the previous week; and a total of 12,703 cases, a 6.9 per cent increase from the previous week.

Information about COVID-19 in Manitoba is updated weekdays at 12:30 p.m. on these DataMB dashboards:

Key Updates

Only symptomatic individuals or those advised by public health should visit a COVID-19 provincial testing site. Rapid antigen tests will continue to be used for the majority of people visiting a provincial testing site. Those who are at higher risk of severe illness, as well as some groups who have tested positive on a rapid antigen test, will still be eligible for PCR testing. Detailed information on updated COVID-19 testing eligibility can be found at gov.mb.ca.

The backlog of COVID-19 tests awaiting processing has been cleared.

Deaths

Public health officials advise 19 new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today:

  • a female in her 80s from the Interlake-Eastern health region, linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Saturday);
  • a female in her 50s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region, linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Saturday);
  • a female in her 90s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Saturday);
  • a female in her 30s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Saturday);
  • a male in his 20s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Saturday);
  • a female in her 70s from the Interlake-Eastern health region (reported Sunday);
  • a female in her 50s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
  • a female in her 70s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
  • a female in her 80s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
  • a female in her 80s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
  • a male in his 50s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
  • a male in his 60s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
  • a male in his 50s from Prairie Mountain Health (reported Monday);
  • a female in her 40s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Monday);
  • a female in her 40s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Monday);
  • a male in his 20s from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Monday);
  • a male in his 50s the Southern Health-Santé Sud region (reported Monday);
  • a female in her 50s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Monday); and
  • a male in his 60s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Monday).

Outbreaks

Outbreaks have been declared at:

  • Vista Park Lodge, Winnipeg;
  • Neepawa Health Centre;
  • Misericordia Health Centre, C2, Winnipeg;
  • Health Sciences Centre, GD3, Winnipeg;
  • Thompson General Hospital, obstetrics and neonatal unit, Thompson;
  • Donwood Manor personal care home, first floor, Winnipeg;
  • Brandon Regional Health Centre, 400 medical unit, Brandon; and
  • Grace Hospital, 3 south, Winnipeg.

Vaccine

There is currently a limited supply of the Pfizer vaccine. All adults aged 30 years or older will be offered the Moderna vaccine for their first, second or third dose. This will help ensure enough Pfizer remains available for people aged 12 to 29. People under 30 receiving an mRNA vaccine may face an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis as a rare side effect. While this was rare after Moderna, it is even more rare after Pfizer. These side effects are rare, temporary, mild and treatable. This means that if only Moderna is available to a young person, it is still safer for them to get the Moderna vaccine than to take the risk of a COVID infection. When both vaccines are available, Manitoba wants to make sure that young people are offered the option that has the lowest risk of myocarditis. People over the age of 30 did not experience the same increased risk of these side effects, regardless of which vaccine they received.

As of today, a total of 62,163 first doses have been given to children ages five to 11, or 49.7 per cent of that age group.

When attending a vaccine appointment, people are reminded to bring their completed consent form (available online at protectmb.ca), wear a short-sleeved shirt, wear a well-fitting mask, and bring their health card or other form of identification. To help support good physical distancing on site, people should arrive no more than 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment time.

Manitobans are encouraged to get their second and third doses as quickly as possible. While COVID-19 vaccine appointments continue to be available at regional or provincial vaccine clinics, for many people the fastest way to be immunized is at a nearby medical clinic, pharmacy or urban Indigenous clinic. Check the online vaccine finder or a medical clinic or pharmacy near you that provides the COVID-19 vaccine to find the next available opportunity to be immunized. The timeline between second and third doses and eligibility criteria information can be found at manitoba.ca.

Eligible individuals can book their appointments online, by calling (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC) or by contacting their local pharmacy or medical clinic directly. Visit gov.mb.ca for some of the available options.

More Resources