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.
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.
The Reminder has reached out to the Northern Health Region (NHR) for more information on what the end of the outbreak will mean for the facility, but is yet to receive comment. Three outbreaks remain active in the north, according to the provincial government, including one in Flin Flon at the Northern Lights Manor. At least one staff member and two residents at the manor have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak was first announced. The two other outbreaks are both in The Pas/OCN/Kelsey district - the Rod McGillivary Care Home at Opaskwayak Cree Nation and the acute care inpatient unit at St. Anthony s Hospital in The Pas.
Before Friday, the most new COVID-19 cases northern Manitoba had reported in one day was 57. That record was more than doubled Friday, as 136 new northern cases were reported by the province Dec. 11.