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

a male in his 80s from the Southern Health - Sante Sud health region (reported Tuesday);
a female in her 50s from the Southern Health - Sante Sud health region (reported Wednesday);
a female in her 40s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Tuesday);
a female in her 50s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Tuesday);
a male in his 70s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Tuesday); and
a female in her 80s from the Winnipeg health region (reported Tuesday).
Today's five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 24.2 per cent provincially and 26.2 per cent in Winnipeg.

As of 9:30 a.m. today, 1,772 new cases of the virus have been identified since Monday: 825 cases on Tuesday, Dec. 28 and 947 cases today. This includes:

 Health Region & Cases

Interlake-Eastern
153

Northern
18

Prairie Mountain Health
218

Southern Health-Santé Sud
195

Winnipeg
1,188

 Four cases have been removed due to data correction. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 77,485.

There were 947 new cases identified in Manitoba today. Of these, 143 are in individuals who were not fully vaccinated. This includes:

Health Region & Cases

Not Fully Vaccinated *

Interlake-Eastern

91     15*

Northern

8        2*

Prairie Mountain Health

99       19*

Southern Health-Santé Sud

82       19*

Winnipeg

667       88*

Today’s data also shows:

7,488 active cases and 68,613 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
183 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 including 141 people with active COVID-19 as well as 42 people who are no longer infectious;
a total of 29 Manitoba patients receiving intensive care for COVID-19 including 25 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as four people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care;
3,852 laboratory tests were completed yesterday bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 1,266,474; and
the total number of deaths in people with COVID-19 is 1,384.
Outbreaks have been declared at:

Northern Spirit Manor personal care home in Thompson;
Actionmarguerite St. Boniface personal care home in Winnipeg; and
Fred Douglas Lodge personal care home in Winnipeg.
Outbreaks have been declared over at:

Kin Place personal care home in Oakbank.
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

Public health officials now advise that for individuals age 30 and over, the Moderna vaccine should be the preferred choice to ensure sufficient Pfizer supply is available for adolescents/young adults. Keeping enough Pfizer stock available for adolescents/young adults will minimize the risks of myocarditis/pericarditis in this group while maximizing benefits for all, including those age 30 and over. If individuals opt not to choose Moderna, Pfizer will still be made available at their appointment.

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 well-fitting 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.

As of today, a total of 2,441,833 doses of vaccine have been administered in Manitoba, including 57,553 first doses given to children ages five to 11. This represents 46 per cent of children in that age group. As of today, 84.9 per cent of all eligible Manitobans ages five and up have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 78.4 per cent have received two doses and 21.2 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.