Manitoba faces 392 new COVID-19 cases, 10 more deaths By: Danielle Da Silva Posted: 2:14 PM CST Monday, Nov. 16, 2020 Last Modified: 6:52 PM CST Monday, Nov. 16, 2020 Updates

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With the COVID-19 case load in Manitoba climbing by hundreds each day, conditions within the province’s hospitals are becoming desperate, as health officials consider opening overflow sites to care for patients.

“The projections are not looking good. If we had a worst-case scenario, it feels like this would be it,” Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa said Monday. “We want to see these numbers go down and decrease the intensity on our hospitals.”

On Monday, the province reported 10 more pandemic deaths, 392 new COVID-19 cases, and a record-setting provincewide five-day test positivity rate of 13 per cent.

As of 9:30 a.m., 234 people were in hospital fighting the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, including 42 in intensive care.

Meanwhile, the province’s 99 intensive care beds (an increase of six since the last update was provided) were near capacity; 83 people were on ventilators (37 COVID-19 patients).

Siragusa said Shared Health is preparing to activate the third stage of its plan to add more capacity to the Manitoba health-care system by opening low-acuity overflow wards in facilities such as hotels, arenas or convention centres. It has already arranged for a recovery room at Winnipeg’s Grace Hospital to become a COVID-19 intensive care ward.

“We’re going to have to make the decision fairly soon, because these numbers are just, they’re coming into the hospital,” Siragusa said.

“It would be dependent on how many people are being admitted to acute care, how much ability we have to keep expanding the space, and we have to stay ahead of that.”

In the past three days, Manitoba recorded more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19. On average, one to two per cent of people infected with the coronavirus will end up in the ICU, according to public health officials.

Since October, 640 non-urgent and elective surgeries have been cancelled to cope with the demand.

“There is no plan that can prepare us to manage the demand on our hospitals that 400-plus cases per day for a sustained period of time is going to create,” Siragusa said.

She added the province’s personal protective equipment guidelines are being reviewed by infection prevention and control experts, due to widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus.

On Monday, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin called on Manitobans to be a “united front” against the spread of COVID-19 by staying home, reducing contacts to their household, and resisting the temptation to venture into public places for non-essential purposes.

Community transmission of the virus is currently the main source of infection, he said.

Following a tragic weekend, when the province announced the deaths of 25 people due to COVID-19 — including a backlog of fatalities connected to Maples personal care home — three more deaths were reported Monday linked to the Winnipeg facility: a man and woman, both in their 80s; and a woman in her 90s.

The Maples outbreak has now reached 207 infections (64 staff, 143 residents) and 40 deaths, according to the province.

Asked why Ontario-based owner Revera Inc. is still operating its Winnipeg facilities, after failing to report deaths connected to Maples to public health in a timely way, Siragusa deferred to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

The 10 deaths announced Monday included a man in his 90s connected to the outbreak at Victoria General Hospital, a man in his 80s connected to a cluster at Seine River Retirement Home, and a man in his 70s from Winnipeg.

In the Southern Health region — which reported 72 new cases Monday — a man in his 90s connected to the outbreak at Bethesda Place, a man in his 80s connected to an outbreak at Carman Memorial Hospital, a man in 90s connected to the outbreak at Brooklyn Terrace, and a man in his 70s linked to the outbreak at Bethesda Regional Health Centre have died.

Since March, 172 Manitobans have died due to COVID-19.

Siragusa said Bethesda Regional Health Centre has reported an influx at its emergency department, due to the high number of COVID-19 infections in the Steinbach area. Non-urgent surgeries have been postponed and staff redeployed, she said.

A COVID-19 specific emergency waiting room is also being established, so patients do not have to be triaged in their cars.

“What is happening right now in these sites, in these hospital sites, is really a wake up call to all Manitobans.”–Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa

“What is happening right now in these sites, in these hospital sites, is really a wake up call to all Manitobans,” Siragusa said. “The entire system is soon going to be under distress with these high daily case counts, and it really can’t continue.”

New cases were reported in health regions, including Interlake-Eastern (21), Prairie Mountain (19), and Northern (25).

Outbreaks were declared at Oakview Place personal care home (Winnipeg), St. Paul’s Residence (The Pas), and Health Sciences Centre units GH3 and GA3 (Winnipeg).

The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in Manitoba since March is 11,339. Of those, 7,011 are considered active.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca