Four deaths linked to variants, 402 new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba as ICU admissions jump

4 new COVID-19 deaths in Manitoba Manitoba reported four new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, pushing the death toll to 1,016.

WINNIPEG — The province has reported four more COVID-19 deaths linked to variants of concern, as ICU admissions jump on Wednesday.

The province said the death of a man in his 40s, and a woman in her 90s from Winnipeg, and a woman in her 80s from the Southern Health region have all been linked to the B.1.1.7. variant of concern.

Another death of a Winnipeg man in his 60s has been linked to an unspecified variant of concern.

There have been 41 deaths linked to variants of concern in Manitoba, and a total of 1,016 deaths of people with COVID-19.

Along with the deaths, the province reported 402 new COVID-19 cases and a five-day test positivity rate of 13.5 per cent.

Winnipeg reported 252 cases on Wednesday, and a five-day test positivity rate of 15.1 per cent. The region is a COVID-19 hotspot in the province, with 3,215 active cases – the highest of any Manitoba region.

The other cases reported on Wednesday include:

These new cases bring Manitoba's total number of COVID-19 cases to 46,314, which includes 4,550 active cases and 40,748 recoveries. One case was removed from the total due to a data correction.

The provincial dashboard shows there are 80 patients with COVID-19 in intensive care—a jump from the 70 patients in ICU on Tuesday. The data shows 61 patients in ICU with active COVID-19 cases, while the rest are no longer infectious but still require the critical care.

The provincial dashboard reported 293 total COVID-19 hospitalizations, including 231 patients with active COVID-19 cases.