Public health officials advise three new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today:
• a male in his 60s from the Northern health region, linked to the B.1.1.7 (alpha) variant of concern;
• a female in her 70s from the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region linked to the alpha variant of concern; and
• a male in his 70s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the alpha variant of concern.

Today's data shows 10 active cases in Portage, one in rural Portage, two in Cartier, one case in Carman, zero cases in North Norfolk, Grey, and Macdonald, one case in Whitemud, and 17 active cases in Seven Regions.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 5.4 per cent provincially and 5.2 per cent in Winnipeg. As of 9:30 a.m. today, 86 new cases of the virus have been identified. However, five cases were removed due to data corrections. This brings the net-new number of cases today to 81 and the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba to 56,667.

Of the 86 cases reported today, the COVID-19 data shows:
• 16 new cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region;
• 11 new cases in the Northern health region;
• 10 four new cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
• 10 new cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region; and
• 39 new cases in the Winnipeg health region.

The data also shows:
• 1,016 active cases and 54,494 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
• 142 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 in Manitoba and neighbouring provinces including:
- 56 people in hospital in Manitoba with active COVID-19 as well as 81 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious, amounting to a total of 137 hospitalizations;
• a total of 39 Manitoba patients receiving intensive care for COVID-19 including:
- 13 people in intensive care units in Manitoba with active COVID-19 as well as 21 people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, amounting to a total of 34 ICU patients in Manitoba; and
- five Manitoba patients in intensive care units outside the province, all of whom are in Ontario;
• 40 patients previously receiving care in an out-of-province ICU have now been returned to Manitoba hospitals for further care; and
- no COVID-19 patients were transported out of province for care yesterday;
• 1,445 laboratory tests were completed yesterday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 841,118; and
• the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 1,157.

Possible exposure locations are listed online by region at the province’s #RestartMB Pandemic Response System webpage. For up-to-date information on possible public exposures to COVID-19 in regions, visit www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/updates/flights.html#event and click on your region.

Additional data on variants of concern is updated from Tuesday to Saturday at https://geoportal.gov.mb.ca/. Data related to COVID-19, outbreaks and some downloadable and historic data can also be found at this site.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, including the online screening tool, testing criteria and locations, self-isolation requirements, public health fundamentals and the provincial response level on the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.