Northern Manitoba clears 800 active cases, remote community cases continue to rise

The Flin Flon health district continues to have two active cases of COVID-19 – but other communites across northern Manitoba aren’t as lucky as of Friday.

Northern Manitoba now has over 800 active cases, reporting another 89 positive tests within the Northern Health Region Friday.

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.

More widespread COVID-19 transmission has been reported in Bunibonibee Cree Nation and Oxford House, where local leadership has instituted a state of emergency. The Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake district now has 114 active cases, including 15 new cases Friday alone.

The Manitoba NDP called on the provincial government to send more doctors to northern Manitoba to fight further COVID-19 spread and ensure remote communities have access to doctors. In a statement released by the part Dec. 18, they alleged that a letter obtained by the party showed that offers from doctors to come work at Bunibonibee had been rejected by health officials, also alleging that five to six patients are medevaced out of the community each day.

“We can’t fight COVID-19 outbreaks without health care workers. There are physicians, who care about these communities and want to help these families, that are offering to provide the support that is so desperately needed. Yet the Pallister government is refusing,” said Ian Bushie, NDP critic for Indigenous relations and the MLA representing the three hardest-hit communities.

“It’s a shameful display of putting money ahead of people in a pandemic. The government should do the right thing and immediately send doctors into First Nations to support acute care.”

Despite the large numbers of community-based cases, the provincial government has not officially considered the communities to be “outbreaks”. The provincial government has not proclaimed a community-wide outbreak in any northern Indigenous community since doing so in Cross Lake this fall – case spread in Moose Lake, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Red Sucker Lake, Shamattawa or Oxford House have not been considered “outbreaks” by the province.

Throughout the north, active cases of COVID-19 either stood pat or rose in every region except one – the Norway House district, which had 17 active cases Thursday, dropped slightly to 16 Friday.

A new outbreak was announced in northern Manitoba at the Thompson General Hospital. The hospital outbreak is limited to the hospital’s MSP ward - the medical, surgical and pediatrics ward, one of the hospital's most important facilities.

Thompson MLA Danielle Adams issued a statement on the outbreak, calling on the province to provide further staff if workers and medical personnel at the hospital have to leave for isolation or if they contract COVID-19.

"I am saddened and concerned to hear of the outbreak at Thompson General Hospital. This facility is a northern hub for acute care which many surrounding communities and First Nations experiencing outbreaks are relying on to send their patients,” said Adams.

“Nurses and doctors at the hospital are already stretched thin, and the loss of staff to isolation will make it even harder to deliver care. The province should step in immediately to work with the regional health authority and ensure there are enough staff to see this hospital, and the patients it cares for, through this crisis."

Province-wide, Manitoba reported 10 more deaths from COVID-19, all in southern communities. Since the pandemic began, 547 people have died from COVID-19. The province reported 350 new cases of the disease. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is present in the province, but only for certain front-line health workers – more vaccinations are slated to enter the province next week.

Province-wide, 5,602 people have active COVID-19 cases. Three hundred and five people are hospitalized with COVID-19, with 43 of those people in intensive care.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan reported 245 new COVID-19 cases, including 28 cases in the far north east. Of those 28 cases, four are in the far north east 2 district, which includes Creighton, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, Sandy Bay and other Saskatchewan communities near Flin Flon. There are 118 active cases within the far north east 2 district. No cases have been confirmed within Creighton or Denare Beach by local officials.

According to Pelican Narrows’ Angelique Canada Health Centre, only 16 active cases remain in the community. Two new cases were reported at the centre, bringing the community up to 162 total cases since an outbreak began in the community last month. The centre is reporting two people from Pelican Narrows have died from the disease, though provincial statistics have not confirmed the deaths.

A pair of people, both over age 70 in Regina, died from COVID-19 Friday. Saskatchewan has reported 107 deaths from COVID-19 and 3,736 people currently have active cases of the disease. The Saskatchewan government is reporting 121 people in hospitals with COVID-19, with 17 people in ICU.