Provincial Respiratory Surveillance Report

COVID-19 and Seasonal Influenza

This report provides a current epidemiological update on the intensity and severity of COVID-19 in Manitoba. Surveillance and administrative data include laboratory, public health case and contact tracing investigations, hospitalization and mortality data. Data are presented at the provincial and regional level; and include a focussed review on the disproportional impact of COVID-19 on various populations in the province.

Epidemiology and Surveillance also continues to monitor the activity of seasonal influenza in Manitoba during this pandemic. During the 2020–2021 influenza season, routine reporting of seasonal influenza is included in this weekly report.

In this weekly respiratory surveillance report, we provide regular updates about the current activity of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza in Manitoba with overall objectives:

• To understand COVID-19 within the respiratory context;
• To present a detailed overview about COVID-19 cases and contacts; and
• To continue monitor and report on seasonal influenza during the pandemic.

Data are reported with a one-week delay for increased data accuracy, completeness and reliability. More analyses continue to be conducted and will be added to this report as available. It is published online at approximately 10:00am every Monday.

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Week 15 (April 11 – April 17)

About epidemiological week

Data extracted up to 4:00 am on April 23, 2021
Next reporting date: May 3, 2021

COVID-19: Increased Activity In Week 15, there were 938 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Manitoba, an increase from 797 in the previous week. The volume of lab tests increased to on average 2,576 people tested for COVID-19 per day compared to 2,102 in the previous week, and the positivity rate of lab tests was 5.5%, similar to 5.7% in the previous week. In an examination of the 938 cases reported this week, majority (59%) were reported from the Winnipeg Regional Health and 24% were reported from the Northern Health Region. The remaining cases were reported from Prairie Mountain Health Authority (6%), Southern Health - Santé Sud Regional Health Authority (6%) and Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (5%). This week, 455 cases of cariants of concern (VOC) have been reported, an increase from 196 in the previous week. Additionally, VOC cases accounted for close to 50% of new cases this week. Overall, older adults and those with underlying illnesses are at higher risk for severe outcomes as a result of COVID-19 infection. As of April 17, a total of 336,138 doses of COVID19 vaccines have been administered and 24.8% of residents aged 18 years and older in Manitoba have been immunized with at least one dose.		Cases About cases New cases: 938 Total cases: 36,159 Total cases of VOCs: 1,016 Recovered cases: 34,331 More Analyses Epi curve Epi curve of VOCs Daily Case Counts (.csv) Age and sex Health region National update
Testing About testing This week Average daily specimens: 2,576 Weekly positivity rate: 5.5% Total Tested people: 411,200 Population tested: 30.1% Specimens tested: 622,380 Positivity rate: 6.2% More Analyses Provincial testing National testing	Severity About severity Severe outcomes associated with COVID-19: Hospitalizations: 2,540 ICU admissions: 533 Deaths: 963 More Analyses Severe Outcomes Age Underlying Illness	Outbreaks About outbreaks COVID-19 outbreaks: 216 Outbreaks in long-term care facilities: 112 Outbreaks in schools: 3 More Analyses Check trend Outbreak list
Exposure About exposure Source of infection in cases (% of total) Travel: 1.4% Close contact to cases: 53.0% Unknown: 23.1% Pending: 22.5% Close contacts Top contact type: Household exposure More Analyses Contacts	Risk Factors About risk factors Pregnant cases: 396 Health care workers**: 2,058 Deceased Health care workers: 2 Recovered health care workers: 2,047 More Analyses Health care workers	Symptoms About symptoms Symptomatic cases: 71.4% Top symptoms (% of reports) Cough: 43.9% Headache: 37.4% Fever: 29.9% Muscle pain (myalgia): 27.9% Sore Throat: 26.2% More Analyses All symptoms
Seasonal Influenza: Low Activity A large number of respiratory specimens continued to be tested for seasonal influenza. There were no laboratory-confirmed influenza cases reported in Manitoba in Week 15. As of April 17, 31.8% of residents in Manitoba have been immunized with seasonal influenza vaccines.		Influenza Cases About cases New cases this week Influenza A: 0 Influenza B: 0 Total cases from September 1, 2020 Influenza A: 2 Influenza B: 1
Syndromic Indicators: Low Activity The respiratory activity levels in the community, primary care and emergency rooms continued to be low for this time of a year. The number of respiratory outbreaks reported that were not due to COVID-19 remains low.		FluWatchers About FluWatchers Participants reporting: 604 Reporting fever and cough: 0.2% Check Trend
Physician Visits About sentinal physicians Influenza Like Illness (ILI) Visits to sentinel physicians: 0.4% Check Trend	Antiviral About Antiviral Units of antiviral dispensed from pharmacies: 1	ED Visits About emergency room visits Average daily respiratory visits to emergency department (ED): 88 Check Trend
Important Notes Data about COVID-19 cases and contacts aswell as influenza cases are extracted from PHIMS. Numbers are subject to change. Missed events in the current report due to reporting delays will be included in later reports when data become available. *ICU admissions were also included in hospitalizations. **Health care workers include personnels in hospitals, long-term care settings, community health clinics and services (including agency staff), and diagnostic/laboratory services.

Cases

Figure 1. Cases of COVID-19 by Week of Public Health Report Date, Manitoba, June 2020 – Present

Note. Deaths due to COVID-19 were aligned by week of death date.
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Figure 2. COVID-19 Cases of Variants of Concern (VOC) by Type and Percentage of VOC Cases in All Cases by Week of Public Health Report Date, Manitoba, June 2020 – Present

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Figure 3. Sex and Age Distribution of COVID-19 Cases, March 2020 – Present

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Figure 4. Cases of COVID-19 by Health Region and Public Health Report Date, Manitoba, June 2020 – Present

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Table 1. Cases of COVID-19 by Health Region, Manitoba, March 2020 – Present

Health Region	Cases	Percentage
Winnipeg RHA	19682	54.4%
Southern Health-Santé Sud	5032	13.9%
Interlake-Eastern RHA	2543	7.0%
Prairie Mountain Health	2331	6.4%
Northern Health Region	6571	18.2%

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Testing

Figure 5. Average Daily Testing Volume and Positivity (%) for COVID-19 by Week of Specimen Receiving Date, Manitoba, June 2020 – Present

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Table 2. Cumulative National Testing Volume and Positivity (%) for COVID-19 by Province/Territory, Canada, March 2020 – Present

Province	Confirmed Cases	Tests Completed	Test Rate in Population (Estimated %)	Positivity Rate (Estimated %)
Alberta	167,793	3,896,301	89.6%	4.3%
British Columbia	117,080	2,338,045	46.3%	5.0%
Manitoba	35,809	623,337	45.7%	5.7%
New Brunswick	1,767	280,991	36.3%	0.6%
Newfoundland and Labrador	1,039	231,971	44.4%	0.4%
Northwest Territories	43	16,863	37.5%	0.3%
Nova Scotia	1,792	459,894	47.6%	0.4%
Nunavut	408	10,090	26.1%	4.0%
Ontario	408,383	13,207,091	91.2%	3.1%
Prince Edward Island	167	133,471	85.7%	0.1%
Quebec	334,071	7,730,114	91.5%	4.3%
Saskatchewan	37,624	716,328	61.2%	5.3%
Yukon	76	8,729	21.5%	0.9%
Canada	1,106,065	29,653,301	79.3%	3.7%

Note. National testing data are collected daily from the national Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Outbreak update webpage.

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Severity

Figure 6. Severe Outcomes of COVID-19 by Week of Public Health Report Date, Manitoba, June 2020 – Present

Note. ICU admissions are not included in the hospital admissions.

Figure 7. Age Distribution of Severe COVID-19 Cases Compared to All Cases, Manitoba, March 2020 – Present

Figure 8. Percentage of COVID-19 Cases With Underlying Illnesses, Manitoba, March 2020 – Present

Note. Musculoskeletal illnesses include: osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, gout and crystal Arthropathies; COPD-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVD-cardiovascular disease; Other CVDs include: ischemic heart disease, heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke; Other chronic conditions include: parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. About definitions of chronic conditions

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Risk Factors

Table 3. Source of Infection in Health Care Workers with Non-missing Information, Manitoba, March 2020 – Present

Source of Infection	Cases	Percentage
Close contact of known case	1228	59.7%
Pending	186	9%
Travel	20	1%
Unknown	624	30.3%
All Cases	2058

Table 4. Roles of Health Care Workers with Non-missing Information, Manitoba, March 2020 – Present

Role	Cases	Percentage
Allied Health, Health Professionals, and Support Staff	1203	58.5%
Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse	579	28.1%
Not identified	156	7.6%
Physician/Physician in training	77	3.7%
First Responder	43	2.1%
All Cases	2058

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Outbreaks

Figure 9. Weekly Respiratory and COVID-19 Outbreaks, Manitoba, 2018 – 2021

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Contacts

Table 5. COVID-19 Contact Summary in All Cases, Manitoba, March 2020 – Present

Regional Health Authority	Cases	Median Contacts	Minimum Contacts	Maximum Contacts
Winnipeg Health	19682	3	0	249
Northern Health	6571	0	0	65
Southern Health - Sante Sud	5032	2	0	66
Interlake-Eastern Health	2543	1	0	58
Prairie Mountain Health	2331	3	0	134

Table 6. COVID-19 Contact Summary in New Cases Reported in Week 15, Manitoba, 2021

Regional Health Authority	Cases	Median Contacts	Minimum Contacts	Maximum Contacts
Winnipeg Health	555	4	0	78
Northern Health	222	0	0	65
Prairie Mountain Health	60	3	0	26
Southern Health - Sante Sud	55	2	0	13
Interlake-Eastern Health	46	3	0	36

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Symptoms

Figure 10. Percentage of Symptoms Reported by COVID-19 Cases, Manitoba, March 2020 – Present

Note: Other symptoms include those less common symptoms such as sweating, runny eyes, itchy throat, etc.

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FluWatchers

Figure 11. Weekly FluWatchers Participants and Percentage Reporting Fever and Cough, Manitoba, 2020 – 2021

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Physician Visits

Figure 12. Weekly Percentage of ILI Related Visits to Sentinel Physicians, Manitoba, 2021

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ED Visits

Figure 13. Weekly Respiratory Visits to Emergency Department, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Manitoba, 2018 – 2021

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Epidemiology and Surveillance

epiCOVID@gov.mb.ca

Other Epidemiology and Surveillance reports

https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/surveillance/index.html