COVID-19 hospitalizations in Manitoba reach 517, 45 in ICU – Winnipeg | The Canadian News

Hospitalizations of Manitobans who have contracted COVID-19 have exceeded 500 people.

An increase of 18 people on Friday brings the province to 517 COVID patients in hospital, and five more people have died.

Manitoba’s ICUs currently have 45 people with the virus, two fewer than Thursday, public health officials said.

The province also reported 1,215 new cases, however that number is not accurate due to changes in how the province collects COVID-19 case data. Most Manitobans who request a test will receive a rapid antigen test and the results are not recorded. Those who test positive and meet specific criteria are given a PCR test, which is recorded.

As of Friday, a total of 64,328 first doses have been given to children ages five to 11, or 51.4 percent of that age group.

Provincial officials said Thursday afternoon that schools will no longer notify close contacts of individual cases, but will provide staff and student absenteeism reports through regular channels.

Public Health will investigate and make recommendations if a school’s COVID-19 activity is deemed to indicate transmission above expected levels in the community.

The province said recommendations, in cases where increased transmission occurs, could include implementing a rapid antigen testing period or other preventative measures, and even recommending a week of remote learning if necessary.

“The Omicron variant is not going away and we must learn to live with the virus. This means changing our mindset from trying to contain the virus to trying to mitigate our risk,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, director of public health for Manitoba.

-With files from Sam Thompson