New Manitoba COVID-19 death linked to care home outbreak on Wednesday

Parkview Place Care Home in Winnipeg. (CTV News File Photo)

WINNIPEG — Another person has died of COVID-19 in Manitoba, as more than 130 new cases were announced in the province on Wednesday.

Health officials reported a man in his 80s in the Winnipeg health region has died. His death is connected to the outbreak at the Parkview Place care home in Winnipeg.

The province said the man was a previously announced case. His death brings the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Manitoba to 43.

The province also identified 135 new cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday morning.

These new cases include:

This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba since March to 3,626. The current five-day test positivity rate is now at 4.8 per cent.

This comes as Manitoba’s premier announced the province is increasing the fines for people caught breaking public health orders.

READ MORE: Manitoba increasing fines for not following public health orders

Active cases in Manitoba are now at 1,774 as of Wednesday, but the province says this number may not be accurate.

“Active cases are an overcount at this time as sometimes regional health authorities close off cases some time after the ten-day isolation period has ended,” a provincial spokesperson told CTV News. “Care for the individual is not impacted in any way, and regions are working towards a more efficient process to close cases quicker.”

Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, has previously said the actual active case count is much lower.

The province did not say when it expects to solve the active case count inaccuracies.

The province was also not able to provide the number of people in hospital and intensive care on Wednesday due to a “technical error.”

It said this information will be posted as soon as it is available.

On Tuesday, 1,861 tests were completed, bringing the total number of lab tests done since early February to 230,641.