Public health officials advise that three new deaths in a person with COVID-19 have been reported today:
- a female in her 20s from Northern health region;
- a male in his 20 from Winnipeg health region, linked to an unspecified variant of concern; and
- a female in her 100s from Southern Health–Santé Sud, linked to the B.1.1.7 variant of concern.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 7.5 per cent provincially and 8.4 per cent in Winnipeg. As of 9:30 a.m. today, 189 new cases of the virus have been identified. However, three cases have been removed due to data correction. This brings the net-new number of cases today to 186 and the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba to 38,211.

Updated Health District data for today is not available at this time from the Manitoba COVID-19 Dashboard.

Today’s COVID-19 data shows:
- 17 cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region;
- five cases in the Northern health region;
- 27 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
- 16 cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region; and
- 124 cases in the Winnipeg health region.

The data also shows:
- 2,206 active cases and 35,034 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
- 78 people in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 56 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 134 hospitalizations; however, officials note this data does not include information from Prairie Mountain Health today due to issues with provincial data systems;
- 25 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as five people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, for a total of 30 ICU patients; however, officials note this data does not include information from Prairie Mountain Health today due to issues with provincial data systems;
- 3,239 laboratory tests were completed yesterday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 653,076; and
- the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 971.

Additional data on variants of concern is updated from Tuesday to Saturday 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.

Other 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.

Public health advises that under the revised public health orders, all gatherings on the property of a private residence are prohibited. This includes both indoor and outdoor gatherings including garage sales.

The testing site at 3975 Portage Ave. in Winnipeg will close May 1 as the site needs the space for regular operations. The final day for testing will be April 30. For alternative testing locations and to book an appointment online visit www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/testing/locations.html.

As Manitoba moves through the third wave, the testing numbers have begun to steadily increase. Public health officials are reminding Manitobans that in most cases, they should only seek testing at a provincial test site if they are symptomatic or have been advised by public health that they are a close contact. This will help ensure that those who need to be tested can continue to access testing as easily as possible.

Manitobans have several options available to access testing including drive-thru, walk-in or by booking an appointment by calling (toll-free) 1-855-268-4318 or online at select sites through https://patient.petalmd.com/login?groupId=5930&locale=en.

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 information 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.