The number of clinical providers in Manitoba to test positive for COVID-19, has not changed in nearly one week.

Lanette Siragusa is Chief Nursing Officer for Shared Health. She says Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health is reporting 21 health care workers in this province have tested positive. It has stayed at that number since April 9th.

“We do consider this to be in large part related to the extensive contact tracing that was involved with each positive case to identify close contacts and potential exposures,” explains Siragusa. “And also part of extensive screening methods that are happening.”

Of those 21, there are 19 from health facilities in Winnipeg, while the other two are from Interlake-Eastern regional health authority. There remain zero cases within Southern Health, Prairie Mountain Health and Northern Health Region.

Siragusa says seven of the cases are from nurses, three are from medical staff and there are ten cases from various allied health and support areas. It has not been made clear what position is held by the other health care worker.

She notes, nine of the individuals have returned to work, while the remaining 12 continue to self-isolate.

Meanwhile, Manitoba’s Chief Provincial Public Health Officer says there are still plans in the works to look at further public health orders. Dr. Brent Roussin suggests additional measures could be coming down this week yet.

He notes this is a reflection of the critical time we are in.

“We know that we’re facing this period where we know that the virus is here,” says Dr. Roussin. “We don’t want to set ourselves up for a place where we reverse all of the progress that we made here.”

According to Dr. Roussin, it is our actions that are getting us through this fight right now.

“Now is the time to continue with those actions,” he stresses. “We can not loosen up our social distancing strategies.”