3 more Manitoba COVID-19 patients die in Ontario hospitals

Three more Manitobans who had been receiving critical care at Ontario hospitals have died, a Shared Health spokesperson said on Tuesday.

A woman in her 50s who was transferred to an Ontario hospital on May 18, a man in his 60s who was flown to Ontario on May 25 and another man in his 60s who was transported on May 30 have died, according to Shared Health.

The spokesperson did not say which hospitals the patients had been moved to or when they died. Their deaths have not been included in Manitoba's official COVID-19 fatality total — which stands at 1,104 as of Tuesday — but will be reflected in that total in the coming days, Shared Health said.

"Our condolences are extended to these individuals' families and loved ones for their loss," the spokesperson said.

To date, seven Manitoba COVID-19 patients have died at facilities in other provinces.

On Tuesday, the province reported 116 new cases of COVID-19, marking the third consecutive day the daily number of new cases has been below 200.

The Shared Health spokesperson says that's a good sign, but hospitals are still overburdened.

"While daily case counts are trending in a positive direction, Manitoba's hospitals are still straining to handle the patient surge and further out-of-province transports to help manage capacity remains an option for our health-care system for the foreseeable future," the spokesperson said in an email to CBC News.

There are currently 24 COVID-19 patients from Manitoba being treated out of province — 23 in Ontario and one in Alberta.

Another 63 patients are currently being treated in intensive care units in Manitoba.

Fifty-six patients have been returned to Manitoba since the province started sending people to out-of-province hospitals in mid-May to help manage its strained intensive care system.

No patients have been transported out of the province for the past three days, Shared Health says.