Manitoba’s chief public health officer will give an update on the province’s efforts against COVID-19 on Monday.
Dr. Brent Roussin has scheduled a press conference for 12:30 p.m. Global News will stream the event live in this story.
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281 COVID-19 cases in Manitoba Sunday, 2 deaths
The province originally said Roussin would be discussing additional public health measures in an invite sent to media at 7:30 a.m. Monday, but in a correction to that first email, sent a little over an hour later, the province said the event’s topic would be a “COVID-19 update.”
There was no immediate word from provincial officials about what led to the change.
Manitoba has seen rising daily case counts and increasing numbers of people in intensive care in recent weeks.
On Friday, Manitoba’s deputy chief public health officer, Dr. Jazz Atwal, said the province’s seven-day average for case numbers has been rising 33 per cent per week.
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COVID-19: 273 new cases in Manitoba Saturday, 2 additional deaths
New restrictions were imposed April 28 on household visits, religious services and other gatherings.
Health officials announced four more deaths connected to COVID-19 and 554 new cases over the weekend.
Since March 2020, the province has recorded 39,174 infections, 2,540 of which remained active Sunday. There were 167 people in hospital as a result of the novel coronavirus Sunday, including 40 in the ICU.
In all, 978 Manitobans with COVID-19 have died.
Read more:
Manitoba opens COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all Indigenous people over 18
Earlier Monday, health officials expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all Indigenous adults in the province.
The move means all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples over the age of 18 can book an appointment for the shot starting at 11:45 a.m. Monday.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, visit our coronavirus page.