The five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 1.45 as the province identified 35 new cases Sunday, bringing the total to 542. According to data on the province's COVID-19 information page, the previous highest daily count was April 1st at 33 new cases.

The data shows there were:

-20 new cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-10 new cases in the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-four new cases in the Winnipeg health region; and
-one new case in the Interlake-Eastern heath region.

Of the new 35 cases Sunday, seven are connected to a business in Brandon. Officials say there continues to be no evidence of workplace transmission.

In the Southern Health region, there are currently 42 active cases, along with 53 individuals who have recovered, and two deaths due to COVID-19.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin notes while many of today’s cases appear to be linked to known clusters in the Southern Health-Santé Sud health region and Brandon, or are close contacts of a previously announced case, preliminary information suggests that there may be a small number of cases of unknown acquisition in these areas.  

"This is what we term as community-based transmission," Roussin explains, adding case investigations are ongoing to determine possible COVID-19 exposures. "When we talk about these community-based transmission cases, a lot of times it's early in the investigation, so we just have yet to link them to a known case, or to a cluster or to travel," Roussin says. When the investigations are completed, he notes additional information will be provided as needed to inform people of any public health risks.

The data also shows:

-six current hospitalizations, with three individuals in intensive care;
-182 active cases and 352 individuals have recovered from COVID-19; and
-the number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at eight.

Preliminary testing numbers show an additional 756 laboratory tests were completed on Saturday, bringing the total number of tests completed since early February to 100,830.

Cases identified today include:

-a female in her 20s from the Interlake-Eastern health region;

-a male between zero and nine from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a female between 10 and 19 from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male between 10 and 19 from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a female in her 20s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 20s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a female in her 20s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 20s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 20s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 30s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 30s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a female in her 30s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 30s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 30s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 30s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 40s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a female in her 40s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a female in her 40s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 40s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 40s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;
-a male in his 40s from the Prairie Mountain Health region;

-a male between 10 and 19 from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a male in his 20s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a female in her 30s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a male in his 40s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a female in her 40s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a female in her 40s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a female in her 40s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a female in her 50s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a male in his 50s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;
-a female in her 60s from the Southern Health Santé Sud health region;

-a male in his 20s from the Winnipeg health region;
-a male in his 30s from the Winnipeg health region;
-a male in his 50s from the Winnipeg health region; and
-a female in her 50s from the Winnipeg health region.