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 16 (April 18 – April 24)

About epidemiological week

Data extracted up to 4:00 am on April 30, 2021
Next reporting date: May 10, 2021

COVID-19: Increased Activity In Week 16, there were 1,456 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Manitoba, an increase from 938 in the previous week. The volume of lab tests increased to on average 3,117 people tested for COVID-19 per day compared to 2,576 in the previous week, and the positivity rate of lab tests was 7.0%, an increase from 5.5% in the previous week. In the 1,456 cases reported this week, majority (63%) were reported from the Winnipeg Regional Health and 11% were reported from the Northern Health Region. The remaining cases were reported from Prairie Mountain Health Authority (10%), Southern Health - Santé Sud Regional Health Authority (10%) and Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (6%). This week, 835 cases of variants of concern (VOCs) have been reported, an increase from 456 in the previous week. Additionally, cases of VOCs accounted for close to 60% of new cases reported this week. As of April 24, a total of 420,283 doses of COVID19 vaccines have been administered and 32.4% of residents aged 18 years and older in Manitoba have been immunized with at least one dose.		Cases About cases New cases: 1,456 Total cases: 37,615 Total VOC cases: 1,852 Recovered cases: 34,744 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: 3,117 Weekly positivity rate: 7% Total Tested people: 421,223 Population tested: 30.9% Specimens tested: 644,204 Positivity rate: 6.2% More Analyses Provincial testing National testing	Severity About severity Severe outcomes associated with COVID-19: Hospitalizations: 2,602 ICU admissions: 557 Deaths: 974 More Analyses Severe Outcomes Age Underlying Illness	Outbreaks About outbreaks COVID-19 outbreaks: 218 Outbreaks in long-term care facilities: 113 Outbreaks in schools: 4 More Analyses Check trend Outbreak list
Exposure About exposure Source of infection in cases (% of total) Travel: 1.4% Close contact to cases: 53.4% Unknown: 23.2% Pending: 22.0% Close contacts Top contact type: Household exposure More Analyses Contacts	Risk Factors About risk factors Pregnant cases: 417 Health care workers**: 2,076 Deceased Health care workers: 2 Recovered health care workers: 2,064 More Analyses Health care workers	Symptoms About symptoms Symptomatic cases: 71.6% Top symptoms (% of reports) Cough: 44.2% Headache: 37.6% Fever: 30.1% Muscle pain (myalgia): 28.1% Sore Throat: 26.5% 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 16. As of April 24, 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: 618 Reporting fever and cough: 0.2% Check Trend
Physician Visits About sentinal physicians Influenza Like Illness (ILI) Visits to sentinel physicians: 0.0% 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): 97 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	20599	54.8%
Southern Health-Santé Sud	5172	13.7%
Interlake-Eastern RHA	2631	7.0%
Prairie Mountain Health	2477	6.6%
Northern Health Region	6736	17.9%

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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	178,777	4,006,589	92.1%	4.5%
British Columbia	123,758	2,409,289	47.7%	5.1%
Manitoba	37,063	651,743	47.8%	5.7%
New Brunswick	1,839	289,172	37.4%	0.6%
Newfoundland and Labrador	1,053	237,528	45.4%	0.4%
Northwest Territories	48	17,397	38.7%	0.3%
Nova Scotia	1,938	481,429	49.8%	0.4%
Nunavut	441	10,836	28.0%	4.1%
Ontario	437,310	13,571,615	93.7%	3.2%
Prince Edward Island	175	137,533	88.4%	0.1%
Quebec	342,688	7,996,713	94.7%	4.3%
Saskatchewan	39,397	740,538	63.2%	5.3%
Yukon	80	8,848	21.8%	0.9%
Canada	1,164,580	30,559,306	81.7%	3.8%

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	1236	59.5%
Pending	186	9%
Travel	20	1%
Unknown	634	30.5%
All Cases	2076

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	1215	58.5%
Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse	582	28%
Not identified	158	7.6%
Physician/Physician in training	77	3.7%
First Responder	44	2.1%
All Cases	2076

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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	20599	3	0	249
Northern Health	6736	0	0	66
Southern Health - Sante Sud	5172	2	0	66
Interlake-Eastern Health	2631	1	0	58
Prairie Mountain Health	2477	3	0	134

Table 6. COVID-19 Contact Summary in New Cases Reported in Week 16, Manitoba, 2021

Regional Health Authority	Cases	Median Contacts	Minimum Contacts	Maximum Contacts
Winnipeg Health	918	4	0	54
Northern Health	161	1	0	59
Prairie Mountain Health	148	0	0	41
Southern Health - Sante Sud	142	3	0	43
Interlake-Eastern Health	87	3	0	40

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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