For the second straight day, Manitoba has watched its active case count hit a new record-high.
After announcing 34 new patients, its active case count went up to 265, which is up by 18 since Thursday. Of the recently identified patients, 19 were diagnosed in the Southern Health region, nine in Winnipeg, five in Prairie Mountain Health and one in the Interlake-Eastern region.
According to a bulletin by health officials, the majority of the new cases in Southern Health are linked to a known cluster, while case investigations are still ongoing. A press conference was not held Friday for more details.
Prairie Mountain Health is still the province’s epicentre, with 116 of the province’s 265 active cases. That includes 99 active cases in Brandon, which is Manitoba’s second-largest city. On Thursday, officials announced new restrictions for Prairie Mountain Health, such as mandatory mask requirements and reduced gathering sizes. Brandon has also been dealing with an outbreak at its Maple Leaf Foods pork processing facility, which has resulted in at least 61 linked cases.
Throughout the pandemic, Manitoba has had 830 COVID-19 patients. That includes 553 people who have recovered and 12 fatalities.
On July 14, the province came very close to having no active cases. That day, after all of its initial patients had recovered, health officials diagnosed five other people.
Since then, Manitoba has seen its curb trend upwards. On Aug. 12, for the first time, the province surpassed 200 active cases, a mark it hasn’t fallen under since.
