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

a female in her 90s from the Prairie Mountain Health region, linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Saturday);
a male in his 20s from the Southern Health – Santé Sud health region, linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Saturday);
a male in his 50s from the Southern Health – Santé Sud health region (reported Saturday);
a female in her 60s from the Southern Health – Santé Sud health region (reported Sunday);
a male in his 30s from Winnipeg health region (reported Sunday);
a male in his 30s from the Southern Health – Santé Sud health region (reported Monday);
a male in his 40s from the Southern Health – Santé Sud health region (reported Monday); and
a male in his 60s from the Southern Health – Santé Sud health region (reported Monday).
Today's five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 19 per cent provincially and 21.2 per cent in Winnipeg.

As of 9:30 a.m. today, 2,154 new cases of the virus have been identified since Friday: 785 cases on Saturday, Dec. 25; 694 cases on Sunday, Dec. 26; and, 675 cases on Monday, Dec. 27. This includes:

Interlake-Eastern RHA: 176
Northern Health: 46
Prairie Mountain: 229
Southern Health: 240
Winnipeg: 1,463

Ten cases have been removed due to data correction. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 75,717.

There were 675 new cases identified in Manitoba today. Of these, 87 are in individuals who were not fully vaccinated. This includes:

Interlake-Eastern RHA: 32 cases, 9 not fully vaccinated
Northern Health: 22 cases, 7 not fully vaccinated
Prairie Mountain: 71 cases, 11 not fully vaccinated
Southern Health: 62 cases, 12 not fully vaccinated
Winnipeg: 488 cases, 48 not fully vaccinated

Today’s data also shows:

5,724 active cases and 68,615 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
158 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 including 114 people with active COVID-19 as well as 44 people who are no longer infectious;
a total of 25 Manitoba patients receiving intensive care for COVID-19 including 20 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as five people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care;
2,542 laboratory tests were completed yesterday bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 1,259,338; and
the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 1,378.

At this time, public health officials advise that approximately 75 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in Manitoba are now suspected to be the omicron variant. Given this information, only certain samples will be screened for the omicron variant, and omicron case data will no longer be provided in bulletins.

Outbreaks have been declared at:

Kin Place personal care home in Oakbank; and
Lodge 5 West at Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg.

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.

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.

No updated vaccine data is available today. Updated data is expected to be available on Wednesday.

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.

More Resources

Vaccine campaign in Manitoba: www.manitoba.ca/vaccine and https://protectmb.ca.

Possible exposure locations by region: www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/updates/flights.html#event.

Data related to COVID-19, variants of concern, outbreaks and some downloadable and historic data: https://geoportal.gov.mb.ca/.

Up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba: www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.