Public health officials advise two new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today:

a male in his 50s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Thursday); and
a female in her 40s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Friday).

Today's five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 12.6 per cent provincially and 14.7 per cent in Winnipeg. As of 9:30 a.m. today, 1,298 new cases of the virus have been identified since Wednesday: 556 cases on Thursday, Dec. 23; and 742 cases today. This includes:

 Interlake Eastern health region - 89

Northern health region - 70

Prairie Mountain health region - 123

Southern Health-Sante Sud health region - 133

Winnipeg health region - 883

Eight cases have been removed due to data correction. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 73,573.

There were 742 new cases identified in Manitoba today. Of these, 107 are in individuals who were not fully vaccinated. This includes:

Interlake Eastern health region - 48 cases, 7 not fully vaccinated

Northern health region - 23 cases, 4 not fully vaccinated

Prairie Mountain health region - 72 cases, 17 not fully vaccinated

Southern Health-Sante Sud health region - 71 cases, 25 not fully vaccinated

Winnipeg health region - 528 cases, 54 not fully vaccinated

Today’s data also shows:

3,626 active cases and 68,577 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
135 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 including 90 people with active COVID-19 as well as 45 people who are no longer infectious;
a total of 24 Manitoba patients receiving intensive care for COVID-19 including 18 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as six people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care;
Four new cases of B.1.1.529 (omicron) variant have been confirmed in Manitoba for a total of 22;
4,657 laboratory tests were completed yesterday bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 1,249,348; and
the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 1,370.

Outbreaks have been declared at:

West Park Manor personal care home, Winnipeg
Heritage Lodge personal care home, Winnipeg
Outbreaks have been declared over at:

Holy Family Home
Due to the holiday season some COVID-19 testing site hours of operation may have changed. Check locations and hours before you go at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/testing/locations.html.

Vaccine

When attending a first- or second-dose vaccine appointment, people are reminded to bring their completed consent form (available online at https://protectmb.ca), wear a short-sleeved shirt, wear a mask, and bring their health card or other form of identification. To help support good physical distancing on site, people should arrive no more than 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment time.

To have the fullest protection possible against COVID-19 going into the holiday season, Manitobans are encouraged to get their second and third doses as quickly as possible. While COVID-19 vaccine appointments continue to be available at regional or provincial vaccine clinics, for many people the fastest way to be immunized is at a nearby medical clinic, pharmacy or urban Indigenous clinic. Check the online vaccine finder or a medical clinic or pharmacy near you that provides the COVID-19 vaccine to find the next available opportunity to be immunized.

The timeline between second and third doses and eligibility criteria information can be found at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html.

A total of 2,407,710 doses of vaccine have been administered in Manitoba, including 56,550 first doses given to children ages five to 11. This represents 45.2 per cent of children in that age group. As of today, 84.8 per cent of all eligible Manitobans ages five and up have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 78.3 per cent have received two doses and 18.8 per cent have received three doses.

Many Manitoba vaccine sites as well as pharmacies and clinics are offering walk-in and appointment-based vaccination for COVID and seasonal flu. Eligible individuals can book their appointments online, by calling (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC) or by contacting their local pharmacy or medical clinic directly. Visit www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/finder.html for some of the available options.