For the first time in months, Manitoba has reported less than 100 new cases of COVID-19 in a day. The province reported 90 net new cases, including nine northern cases and a new case in the Flin Flon health district.
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This time of year, with the temperature plunging below -20 C, a snowmobile and an ice chisel are required tools for anyone in Tataskweyak Cree Nation in need of fresh water.
There’s the bottled stuff, trucked into town courtesy of the federal government, but the weekly shipment of 1,500 cases is only sufficient to meet basic consumption needs. For cleaning, cooking and basic hygiene water, many residents need a supplementary source. And rather than use their tainted tap water, they follow a snowmobile trail several kilometres to Assean Lake, pails in hand.
Out of the new cases reported, the most cases in one district were found in the Cross Lake/Pimickamak district, where 22 new cases were reported Thursday. Another nine cases were found in the Island Lake district - likely tied to the ongoing community spread in Red Sucker Lake. Four new cases were found in the Thompson/Mystery Lake district. Not all the news on new cases is bad. Five northern districts, including the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon district, saw their active cases numbers drop. The Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake district saw the biggest drop, going to 171 active cases from 176 Wednesday. The Pas/OCN/Kelsey also saw a modest decline, with three more previously active cases now reported as recovered. Three other districts saw cases decline by one case each.
Eleven other deaths were also announced on Thursday, taking the total number of Manitobans who have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began to 717. Seven previously announced cases were removed from provincial totals due to data corrections, so the net increase in COVID cases on Thursday was 201 and the provincial five-day test positivity rate was below 10 per cent from the first time since early November at 9.9 per cent. The number of active COVID cases in the Northern Regional Health Authority is now at 1,016 and there have been 2,281 cases in the region since the pandemic began. Acting deputy chief public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal said at a media briefing Jan. 7 that the northern cases included some that were confirmations of rapid tests and that about three-quarters of them were from First Nations.
I say this every year, but it doesn’t make it any less true: I’ve left a lot on the table this year. So many people stepped up and did incredible things in 2020. There were thousands of people who achieved amazing things, faced the pandemic battle on the front lines, gave back, received awards and impacted lives. I try to do 100 new names every year and not repeat any from previous lists. That said, I’ve still got dozens of names to carry forward to next year. Please stay safe and look after yourself. All the best, always.
A COVID-19 suspected patient is brought into a resuscitation bay in the adult emergency department at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. The amount of personal sacrifice for literally putting their own lives at risk to help others is immeasurable, says Burpee. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)