Two new cases of COVID-19 are being reported Thursday in Manitoba, bringing the province's total positive and probable positive cases to 409.

These latest cases are two men in their 30s from the Prairie Mountain Health Region. Public Health investigations are ongoing and additional information will be released if necessary.

The data also shows:

  • six current hospitalizations, with four individuals in intensive care;
  • 76 active cases and 325 individuals have recovered from COVID-19; and
  • the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is eight.

An additional 1,179 tests were completed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of tests completed in Manitoba since early February to 87,548.

Chief provincial public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, addressed frustrations around testing and result wait-times.

"At Cadham Provincial Lab, the on-site testing time remains between twenty-four and forty-eight hours despite the dramatic increase in testing volumes but there are delays in transport and there can be delays in entering results into the system. So these are all things that we continue to work on and are trying to get those turn-around times down. We thank Manitobans for their patience. We are running a lot of tests," he said.

Dr. Roussin noted positive tests are identified quite early and reported out to those individuals. 

While he says this spike in tests is partly due to an increase in cases and their related contacts, Dr. Roussin noted they are also seeing people experiencing symptoms of the common cold. He cautions employers against mandating A-symptomatic employees be tested, noting this isn't useful and in fact creates further delays in the system. Again, he stressed the most important people to get tested are named contacts of known COVID-19 cases, or those experiencing symptoms.

With the August long weekend around the corner, Dr. Roussin also encourages Manitobans to continue adhering to public health orders and recommendations related to social distancing and hygiene.