Public health officials advise three new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today, including a man in his 80s from Southern Health linked to an unspecified variant of concern.

Today's deaths include:

• a female in her 50s from the Interlake–Eastern health region, linked to the B.1.1.7 (alpha) variant of concern;
• a female in her 70s from the Northern health region, linked to the alpha variant of concern; and
• a male in his 80s from the Southern Health–Santé Sud region linked to an unspecified variant of concern.

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

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 2.5 per cent provincially and 1.3 per cent in Winnipeg. As of 9:30 a.m. today, 26 new cases of the virus have been identified. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba to 57,502.

Of the 26 cases reported today, the COVID-19 data shows:
• 15 new cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region;
• zero new cases in the Northern health region;
• two new cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
• three new cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region; and
• six new cases in the Winnipeg health region.

Today’s data also shows:
• 497 active cases and 55,830 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
• 104 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 including 35 people with active COVID-19 as well as 69 people who are no longer infectious;
• a total of 30 Manitoba patients receiving intensive care for COVID-19 including 13 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as 17 people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care;
• 1,487 laboratory tests were completed yesterday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 869,632; and
• the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 1,175.

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 available 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.

Updated enforcement statistics are posted online weekly. For more information, go to Cross-Departmental Reports at https://manitoba.ca/openmb/infomb/departments/index.html.

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.