WINNIPEG Four Manitoba First Nations are implementing rapid COVID-19 testing to screen essential travellers before they are allowed to enter the community. Garden Hill, Red Sucker Lake, St. Theresa Point and Wasagamak First Nation, also known as the four island lake communities, have acquired 1,000 rapid COVID-19 tests. Indigenous people know the healthcare system isn t able to respond as quickly as needed, said Elvin Flett, chairman of Four Arrows Regional Health Authority, in a news release. It is very important we increase our own capacity to fight COVID wherever possible to improve the health of our people. The communities also acquired two digital analyzers for COVID-19 tests. With the new analyzers, the communities can get COVID-19 test results without shipping them out to external labs.
Manitoba health officials gave the province an early Christmas gift of sorts Dec. 21 - the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost two months. The province reported 166 net new cases of COVID-19 on the shortest day of the year, including 25 cases within the Northern Health Region. Four deaths were reported Monday due to COVID-19, each from southern Manitoba communities. article continues below
Trending Stories Within the district of Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon, only two cases of COVID-19 remain active. According to the most recent provincial health data, 32 people have had the disease and recovered, while one person who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.
There are now three communities in remote portions of Manitoba where spread of COVID-19 has hit drastic levels. Shamattawa remains the hardest hit of these regions, with active cases in the community’s health district hitting 275 according to provinicial data – over a quarter of the people in the town have either had COVID-19 or still have the disease. Twenty-one new cases were reported in the district Friday. The Canadian Armed Forces are still actively working in Shamattawa, helping first responders and health workers. Things aren’t looking much better in the Island Lake district, home to Red Sucker Lake, where cases are continuing to grow. The district passed the 200 active case mark Friday, sitting now at 203 active cases of the disease in the district. Armed Forces crews arrived in the community Thursday to help stop the spread. The district reported 13 new cases Friday.
Six of the deaths announced Friday are connected to outbreaks. In addition to the death at the Morris General Hospital, there were deaths connected to the Kin Place care home in the Interlake-Eastern region, the Gilbert Plains personal care home, Salem Home in Winkler, the Charleswood Care Centre and the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg.
No adverse reactions to vaccine
Friday s briefing happened hours after the provincial government announced it is preparing to receive a second batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, opening up appointments for 900 additional health-care workers starting next week.
The first 900 Manitobans to be vaccinated, all health workers, started getting shots on Wednesday of this week. At the 12:30 p.m. briefing, Atwal said nearly 600 of those workers had received the vaccine, with the rest expected to receive it by the end of the day.
The regions with the highest amount of growth were the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake and the Island Lake district. In the Bunibonibee district, 23 more active cases were reported Thursday, bringing the district up to 102 active cases. Island Lake - where most cases are tied to the community of Red Sucker Lake - now has 193 active cases and counting, reporting 20 new cases and a net increase of 14 cases. The district with the most cases continues to be the Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake district, where cases are staying in the mid-200s. The district now has 256 active cases, most of which are centred around Shamattawa First Nation. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces, including medical staff, have been working in the community.