24 deaths linked to Manitoba care homes, hospitals this week: The latest on COVID-19 outbreaks

Twenty-four more deaths linked to COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes and health-care facilities were announced in Manitoba this week, as the province prepares to open its immunization super site at the RBC Convention Centre on Monday.

Roughly 3,432 first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been administered in Manitoba since the first shipment from that manufacturer arrived in the province in December, the government said on Sunday.

About 4,100 eligible health-care workers have so far made appointments to get their first dose of the vaccine, and 2,000 more spots were still available as of Sunday afternoon, the province said in a news release.

Latest outbreak numbers, at a glance

NOTE: Updated numbers for COVID-19 outbreaks in Manitoba health-care facilities, long-term care homes, and correctional facilities won't be available until Monday.

Health care

There are active COVID-19 outbreaks at 10 health-care centres in Manitoba, including in four Winnipeg hospitals. The province said it will not update these numbers for the public again until Monday, though individual hospitals may post updates of their own:

• Beausejour Hospital:
  • An outbreak was declared at the facility on Dec. 19, closing the hospital's emergency department until further notice, the province said in a news release. The region advises residents to always call 911 for emergency care, the release said. As of Dec. 23, there were two active cases: one staff member and one patient, according to the province's COVID-19 data hub.
• Boundary Trails Health Centre: 
  • An outbreak was declared in the rehabilitation and surgery unit at the hospital, between Winkler and Morden, on Dec. 10. As of Dec. 23, there were four active cases and three recoveries. Those cases were split between staff (three cases) and patients (four cases).
• Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg:
  • In an update on Dec. 8, the hospital listed an outbreak in the N3 East family medicine unit. As of Dec. 31, there were 14 patient cases (including two inpatients) and two staff cases linked to that unit, the hospital said.
• Hamiota Health Centre:
  • An outbreak was declared in the acute care ward at the health centre on Dec. 11. As of Dec. 23, three staff and one patient have tested positive, the province said.
• Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg:
  • Another outbreak was declared in the hospital's GA4 unit on Dec. 29.
• Morris General Hospital in Morris:
  • An outbreak was declared at the hospital on Dec. 2. As of Dec. 23, 11 patients and 14 staff had tested positive for COVID-19, and three people had died, the province said.
• Portage District General Hospital in Portage la Prairie:
  • An outbreak was declared in the medical unit at the hospital on Dec. 18. As of Dec. 23, five staff and five patients had contracted COVID-19, the province said.
• Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg:
  • An outbreak was declared in the hospital's 4U 4-7 unit on Dec. 1. There were six active patient cases as of Dec. 31, the hospital said.
  • On Dec. 19, the province said in a news release there had also been an outbreak declared in the hospital's 4U 8-12 unit. As of Dec. 31, there were nine active patient cases and two staff cases linked to the outbreak. Other patients who were close contacts were isolated, and one patient died after testing positive for COVID-19, the hospital said.
  • On Jan. 2, an outbreak was declared in the hospital's 5U1-3 unit, the province said in a news release.
• St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg:
  • An outbreak that was declared on Oct. 16 led to the infection of 29 patients and 20 staff, along with 13 deaths. In an update on Nov. 23, the hospital said "the number of units classified as outbreak units has been reduced from two (E5 and E6) to zero."
  • A new outbreak was declared in the hospital's E5 medicine unit on Dec. 24, the province said in a news release. Six patients and four staff had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Dec. 31, the hospital said, and one person had died.
• Thompson General Hospital:
  • An outbreak was declared in the MSP ward at the Thompson General Hospital on Dec. 18. As of Dec. 23, there were two staff and two patient cases.

Some previously reported outbreaks have been declared over:

• Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach:
  • Three people have died and 35 people have been infected due to multiple outbreaks at the centre. The last outbreak in the medicine unit was declared over on Dec. 16.
• Carman Memorial Hospital in Carman:
  • One person had died as a result of the outbreak, with four staff and eight "non-staff" infections, as of Nov. 30. The outbreak was declared over on Dec. 1.
• Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg:
  • An outbreak was declared in Unit N3 West on Nov. 26 and declared over on Dec. 22, the hospital said. A total of 10 patients and seven staff contracted COVID-19 in connection with that outbreak.
  • A second outbreak was declared in Unit N2 East on Dec. 1. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 17. There was a total of eight patients and one staff infected.
• Grace Hospital in Winnipeg:
  • Health officials announced an outbreak in the hospital's Unit 3 North, where four staff and six patients have tested positive as of Dec. 23. Four deaths have also been linked to that outbreak, the hospital said. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 24, the province said.
  • A second outbreak was declared in the hospital's Unit 4 South on Nov. 27, where two patients tested positive and one person died. That outbreak has resolved, the hospital said in an update on its website on Dec. 11.
  • A third outbreak was declared in Unit 2 South on Nov. 30. As of Dec. 21, nine staff and seven patients have tested positive in that unit's outbreak, and three people have died, the hospital said. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 24, the province said.
  • A fourth outbreak in Unit 3 South was declared on Dec. 3. Three patients and three staff have tested positive, and one person has died in that unit as of Dec. 23, the hospital said. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 23, the province said.
• Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg:
  • Another outbreak at the hospital, this time in its GH4 unit, was declared on Dec. 19, the province said in a news release. As of Dec. 23, one staff and three patients had contracted COVID-19, the province said.
  • The GH4 outbreak is the latest at the Winnipeg facility, which previously had several other outbreaks that have since been declared over. Eleven people died, while 52 patients and 37 staff had tested positive as of Dec. 1, due to previous outbreaks in multiple units at Health Sciences Centre.
  • An outbreak in the hospital's GA4 unit was declared on Nov. 4, and declared over on Dec. 5. It resulted in the deaths of three patients, along with the infection of 23 patients and 19 staff, Manitoba Shared Health said.
  • On Nov. 16, Shared Health announced outbreaks also had been declared in the hospital's GH3 and GA3 units. 
  • Five patients have died, and 12 patients and five staff have tested positive in the GA3 unit, as of Dec. 10. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 17.
  • As of Dec. 10, one person had died and nine patients and eight staff had tested positive in GH3. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 10.
  • In the hospital's GD4 unit, two patients have died, 15 patients and six staff have tested positive as of Dec. 11. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 17.
• Lakeshore General Hospital in Ashern: 
  • An outbreak was declared at the hospital on Nov. 30. One staff member had tested positive as of Dec. 8, when it was declared over.
• Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg:
  • An outbreak was declared in the hospital's 3U 4-7 unit on Dec. 1 and declared over on Dec. 21. Two patients tested positive.
  • An outbreak was declared in the hospital's Family Medical Unit 5U4-7 on Dec. 1. As of Dec. 31, eight patients had tested positive, including one who later died, the hospital said. Three of the sick patients were isolating in hospital. That outbreak was declared over on Dec. 28.
• St. Anthony's General Hospital in The Pas:
  • An outbreak in the hospital's acute care inpatient unit was announced on Dec. 1. As of Dec. 23, there were a total of 15 confirmed cases (including eight patients) and two deaths, the province said. On Jan. 2, that outbreak was declared over, the province said.
• Swan Valley Health Centre in Swan River: 
  • The province declared an outbreak at this health centre and the attached Swan Valley Personal Care Home on Oct. 25. That outbreak was declared over on Nov. 20, after resulting in six staff infections and five "non-staff" infections, according to the province.
  • Another outbreak was declared on Dec. 7. That outbreak is linked to one "non-staff" infection. The province declared this outbreak over on Dec. 21.
• Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg: 
  • A total of 15 people have died due to outbreaks at the hospitals as of Dec. 3, a provincial spokesperson said. A total of 86 people have tested positive. The latest outbreak in Unit 4 South, a geriatric rehabilitation unit, was declared over by the hospital on Dec. 16.

Care homes

Manitoba has declared COVID-19 outbreaks at more than 70 care homes and assisted living centres. The outbreaks have resulted in over 300 deaths and 2,007 total cases as of Dec. 23.

The deadliest outbreak at a Manitoba care home is at Maples Long Term Care Home, which is owned by the private company Revera. Before that, the deadliest outbreak at a Manitoba care home was at Parkview Place in Winnipeg, which is also owned by Revera.

The provincial government has launched an investigation into the two care homes.

Notes:

• The province said it will not update these numbers for the public again until Monday, though individual facilities may post updates of their own.
• Some outbreaks have not yet been entered into the province's database, so totals are not available at this time for some facilities.

Schools

On Dec. 23 — the last time provincial outbreak data was updated — a government spokesperson said Manitoba had recorded a total of 1,956 cases of COVID-19 related to schools as of Dec. 21. Those numbers will be updated again on Monday, another spokesperson said.

The province says there have been 1,455 cases involving students, and 414 involving staff. (The student/staff numbers may not match the total because of outstanding cases that are considered pending and are still undergoing data validation, according to a provincial spokesperson.)

A provincial spokesperson said as of Dec. 17, there are no longer any active outbreaks in Manitoba schools.

Outbreaks previously announced at several schools have been declared over:

• Centre Scolaire Léo-Rémillard in Winnipeg: outbreak declared Oct. 30. As of Dec. 4, there were four staff members and 24 students who had tested positive, the province said. Health officials declared this outbreak over on Nov. 27.
• Collège Louis Riel in Winnipeg: outbreak declared Oct. 29, entire school later moved to remote learning. As of Dec. 4, there were eight staff members and 12 students who had tested positive, the province said. Health officials declared this outbreak over on Nov. 27.
• Arborgate School in La Broquerie: An outbreak was declared on Oct. 22. As of Dec. 4, there were four staff members and two students who had had tested positive, the province said.
• Reston School in Reston: An outbreak was declared on Nov. 13. As of Dec. 4, there were eight students and one staff member who had tested positive.
• John Pritchard School in Winnipeg: The province's first school outbreak was linked to 28 cases of COVID-19: four among staff members and 24 among students. It was declared over on Oct. 20.
• Bird's Hill School in East St. Paul: An outbreak was announced on Oct. 20, and declared over on Nov. 10.

You can find the full list of possible exposures, including school exposures, on the province's website. 

First Nations

On Dec. 18, Manitoba's acting deputy chief public health officer said 54 of 63 First Nations in the province have reported COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in March.

As of Dec. 31, there were a total of 2,211 known active cases of COVID-19 among First Nations people in the province, according to the latest COVID-19 briefing issued by the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team. Of the total known active cases, 1,468 are on-reserve and 743 are off-reserve.

The response team didn't announce any new deaths in its latest update.

There were 79 First Nations people in hospital with COVID-19 as of Dec. 31, making up roughly a third of the province's total infectious hospitalizations, the update says.

Correctional facilities

Both the province and the Correctional Service of Canada said they won't be releasing updated data on Manitoba correctional facilities until Monday.

One inmate at Stony Mountain died from COVID-19 on Dec. 27, the first inmate in a Manitoba correctional facility to die from the disease.

As of Dec. 30, there were active cases of COVID-19 in seven correctional facilities in Manitoba, with 871 total infections — 154 staff and 717 "non-staff."

There are only 185 known active cases linked to the facilities, though the numbers at Stony Mountain were last updated on Dec. 30 and those at the province's remaining correctional facilities haven't been updated since Dec. 23

Here are the COVID-19 case numbers for correctional facilities in Manitoba:

Stony Mountain Institution surpassed Headingley Correctional Centre as the largest outbreak in a Manitoba correctional facility. The federal prison declared an outbreak on Nov. 14, which has led to 386 infections, including 343 inmates and 43 staff members, as of Dec. 30.

Headingley Correctional Centre, where an outbreak was declared on Oct. 13, previously had the largest outbreak, with 250 total infections as of Dec. 23. That outbreak has led to infections in 44 staff and 206 "non-staff" as of Dec. 23, and was declared over on Dec. 27, the province said.

Outbreaks at The Pas Correctional Centre and the Agassiz Youth Centre no longer have any active cases. The outbreak at the Agassiz Youth Centre was declared over on Dec. 22.