Manitoba adds 18 to COVID death toll

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This article was published 30/06/2022 (1335 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Another 18 people have died from COVID-19, while cases continue to drop, according to Manitoba public health data.

The weekly COVID-19 epidemiology report for June 19-25 showed fatalities from the disease increased by 18 people, bringing Manitoba’s COVID death toll to 2,043. However, only one of those deaths happened during that reporting week.

Since COVID-19 cases are no longer reported directly to public health, officials have said in previous comments there will be delays in reporting deaths and they would be added to the weekly update.

In that same week, 46 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, including five to intensive care, a decrease from 58 the previous week. There were 157 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, down 203 from the previous week. The positivity rate was 10.9 per cent, down from 11.3 per cent. One outbreak was listed in a long-term care facility, but the data did not name which one.

As of June 26, 83.1 per cent of Manitobans aged five years and up have been fully vaccinated with two doses.

Concerns over a fall wave have federal health officials warning Canadians of another round of COVID vaccines and are urging those behind on their boosters to get them as soon as possible.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said at a news conference on Thursday omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are even more transmissible and better able to evade immunity than previous versions, making a rise in cases likely.

She and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos stressed the importance of up-to-date vaccination status, noting 40 per cent of Canadians still have not received a booster following their primary two shots, putting the country behind other G7 countries when it comes to three doses.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) advised jurisdictions to prepare to offer another round of shots to people at increased risk of severe outcomes, no matter how many booster doses they’ve already received.

High-risk segments include people 65 years of age and older, residents of long-term care or living facilities, and those 12 years of age and older with an underlying medical condition.

The NACI recommendation also prioritizes adults in Indigenous, racialized and marginalized communities, as well as migrant workers, and anyone living in shelters, correctional facilities and group homes.

Boosters should also be offered to all other individuals from 12 to 64 years of age regardless of the number of booster doses they have previously received, NACI stated.

Tam said vaccines tailored to omicron are in development but have yet to be evaluated by Canada’s drug regulator. Officials are still waiting for data on what new protection the so-called bivalent vaccines could offer.

Globally, cases are increasing. A report from the World Health Organization reported COVID cases rose by 18 per cent last week, with 1.4 million cases reported.

The region with the largest case spike was in the middle east, with an increase of 47 per cent, the report stated. Europe and Southeast Asia saw an increase of 32 per cent, and the Americas saw an increase of 14 per cent. Deaths, on a global scale, remained steady at 8,500, but the Americas, Southeast Asia and the Middle East saw an increase in deaths.

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com