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The Asessippi Ski Area and Resort have decided to close until February 1st due to a case of COVID-19.
Yesterday, they learned a staff member tested positive for the virus.
Even though public health officials say the exposure risk is low and didn’t request the resort to close, they made the decision anyways.
In a release, they say, “All we care about is everyone’s health and safety. We would rather not be here at all than put our staff, our guests, and the public at risk and have thus decided to close for two weeks and issue this notice.”
It isn’t known how this case was transmitted, but the resort says as soon as the individual recognized they were symptomatic, they were tested and isolating within hours.
If there’s a risk identified to guests, public health will inform Asessippi Resort and the public.
All guests that prebooked lifts until February 1st will be automatically refunded.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Residents of Dauphin’s St. Paul’s Personal Care Home had their first chance to receive the Moderna vaccine over the weekend.
On Saturday, Jan. 15, St. Paul’s resident Myra Childs was the first to receive the vaccine at the Dauphin care home.
St. Paul’s PCH staff member David Sarkonak met the current provincial eligibility criteria and received the extra dose of the Moderna vaccine.
A leftover vaccine dose was given to care home staff member David Sarkonak, who rolled up his sleeve to receive the shot.
The immunizations are part of a plan to offer the vaccine to all Manitoba care home residents by Feb. 8.
Prairie Mountain Health's Focused Immunization Teams (FIT) and PCH nurses have begun immunizing personal care home residents across the province.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Manitoba health officials are announcing 118 new COVID-19 cases and 4 more deaths today.
Three of today’s deaths are in Winnipeg, and one is in the Northern Health region.
Prairie Mountain Health has provided an update on the situation at the Dauphin hospital after an outbreak was declared there last Friday.
After an outbreak was declared on Jan. 12 at St. Pauls Personal Care Home in Dauphin, the province is now reporting one case has been identified - which is a staff member.
Today’s new cases are from the following health regions:
• 11 cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region
• 46 cases in the Northern health region
• seven cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• nine cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region and
• 45 cases in the Winnipeg health region
There have been a total of 27,629 cases of the virus province-wide. The number of deaths is 773.
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 10.6 percent provincially and 7.3 percent in Winnipeg.
Manitoba has a total of 3,108 active cases and 23,748 recoveries.
There are 135 people in hospital with active COVID-19 and 154 in hospital who are no longer infectious but require care (289 total hospitalizations).
There are 23 people in intensive care with active COVID-19 and 12 people who are no longer infectious that still need critical care (35 total ICU patients).
According to the province’s data, there are active cases in the following Parkland health districts: Dauphin (6), Riding Mountain (1), Porcupine Mountain (54), Duck Mountain (6), Asessippi (5), Little Saskatchewan (3), Whitemud (1), and Agassiz Mountain (40). Brandon has 66 active cases.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has 66 active cases, while Fisher/Peguis has 54.
With the current code red restrictions set to expire on Friday, Jan. 22, Manitoba officials are calling on the public to share their thoughts on which restrictions should be relaxed or maintained. You can fill out the survey online at Engagemb.ca.
Manitoba has opened its second COVID-19 immunization site today at Brandon’s Keystone Centre.
Prairie Mountain Health asks that people do not call the Brandon Keystone Centre directly for any information regarding the COVID vaccination program. An internal confidential phone number has been provided to those staff groups that are eligible for the vaccine.
For a list of who is eligible for the vaccine, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) is providing an update on the situation at the Dauphin hospital after an outbreak was declared on Friday, Jan. 15.
A statement from PMH CEO Penny Gilson indicates they’re working through the current outbreak in the medicine unit at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre (DRHC).
Endoscopy and surgical services will continue, while regular scheduled surgical cases are restricted to outpatients only. Emergency surgery is still being performed.
Gilson states this is out of an abundance of caution "to protect the bed capacity for medical admissions on the surgery unit as needed".
PMH says the emergency department at the hospital remains open, continuing to see and treat people with conditions or symptoms that are not related to COVID-19.
During the pandemic, all patients who arrive at emergency departments in the Prairie Mountain Health region are screened and assessed by the appropriate health-care providers.
The province has not yet provided any statistics on the number of cases associated with the DRHC outbreak.
The ongoing outbreak at the McCreary/Alonsa Health Centre in Prairie Mountain Health has identified 42 total COVID infections (14 staff, 28 non-staff) and four deaths.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
No vaccine appointments have been cancelled in Manitoba following news that Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine delivery schedules will be delayed across Canada.
Health Minister Heather Stefanson made that announcement on Friday following confirmation that shipments of the Pfizer BioNTech will be cut in half between Jan. 25 and Feb. 21 while the company takes a pause to upgrade its production facilities in Europe.
As a result, no new appointments in Manitoba will be made during this period of time — but appointments that have already been booked will continue, and second doses will still be administered within the window set out by the manufacturer.
The province says the plan to immunize all residents of personal care homes by Feb. 8 is also unaffected.
The delayed shipment means the second super-site in Brandon will significantly scale back operations shortly after opening on Monday, Jan. 18.
Federal procurement Minister Anita Anand is asking Pfizer-BioNTech to get the vaccine delivery schedule back on track as soon as possible.
As of Saturday night, more than 543,000 Canadians have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
With the code red lockdown currently forcing Manitoba gyms and fitness centres to close their doors to the public, at-home exercise options have become much more of a focal point.
Research shows exercise can be very helpful in managing depression, anxiety and stress levels that have been heightened by the pandemic situation.
One form of exercise that’s proving to be quite useful is yoga — a practice of meditation and breath control which often involves moving through a series of body postures, akin to stretching.
Dauphin-based yoga instructor Erin Forsyth agrees yoga is a great option as it requires no equipment, little space, and can be practiced anytime.
“I find it’s the best at-home exercise. All you need is a comfortable spot, and there is a lot of free resources out. There are so many free yoga practices on Youtube,” says Forsyth.
She says the upside of yoga goes beyond the benefits to your body, and that people often feel mentally and emotionally better after their practice.
Her advice: start with what feels good in your body.
Erin explains there are many different types of yoga, some with more “meditative” options where you sit completely still and focus on the breath, and others that incorporate more physically challenging movements and body positions.
“If you are a little nervous about being in a yoga studio around other people, the nice thing about doing a yoga practice at home is there’s nobody else around. It might be more comfortable for you, and maybe as you get more comfortable in your yoga practice, you can go check out a group class once it’s allowed.”
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For more practical and interesting health-related tips from the experts, you can check out CKDM’s “Health. Wellness. And You” page, with full-length interviews and more!
Health.Wellness. And You is hosted by CKDM News Director Matt Hamel.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitoba health officials reported 189 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and 8 deaths.
One of those eight deaths was in the Northern health region, and the rest were all in Winnipeg, including a man in his 30s.
Possible Changes To Lockdown Restrictions This Week
Manitoba’s code red lockdown measures expire on Friday, Jan 22. The province’s top health officials have indicated there could be a relaxation of some restrictions.
“We’re seeing those hospital numbers gradually come down,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, but added, “certainly not as fast as we want.”
He says with noted improvement to test positivity rates, overall case numbers, and the strain on the healthcare system — measures could be relaxed because public health “always wants to take the least restrictive means.”
But Roussin said any loosening of restrictions will be "very cautious and slow.”
Premier Brian Palliser announced on Friday that “we hope to be in a position early next week to inform Manitobans of our planned path forward.”
Today’s COVID-19 Numbers
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 10.4% provincially and 7.2% in Winnipeg. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 27,511.
The data also shows 3,081 active cases and 23,661 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
There are 137 people in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 155 people in hospital who are no longer infectious but continue to require care (292 hospitalizations total).
There are 24 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as 15 people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care (39 ICU patients total).
The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 769.
The location of new cases announced Sunday is as follows:
• 12 cases in the Interlake-Eastern health region
• 95 cases in the Northern health region
• nine cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• eight cases in the Southern Health-Santé Sud health region
• 65 cases in the Winnipeg health region
According to the province’s data, there are active cases in the following Parkland health districts: Dauphin (6), Riding Mountain (0, down from 3), Porcupine Mountain (54), Duck Mountain (7), Asessippi (5), Little Saskatchewan (3), Whitemud (2), and Agassiz Mountain (43). Brandon has 69 active cases.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has 62 active cases, while Fisher/Peguis has 51.
Public health officials advise eight additional deaths in people with COVID-19 have been reported today including:
• a male in his 70s from the Northern health region
• a male in his 30s from the Winnipeg health region
• a female in her 70s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to an outbreak at Health Sciences Centre GA4
• a male in his 70s from the Winnipeg health region
• a male in his 70s from the Winnipeg health region
• a male in his 70s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to an outbreak at the Southeast Personal Care Home
• a female in her 90s from the Winnipeg health region
• a female in her 90s from the Winnipeg health region
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
180 new cases and 2 deaths due to COVID-19 have been announced by public health officials on Saturday.
No new information about the outbreaks at St. Paul’s Personal Care Home in Dauphin or the Dauphin Regional Health Centre has been announced.
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 10.2% provincially and 7% in Winnipeg.
The total number of cases to date in Manitoba is 27,322. The provincial data says there are 2,986 active cases and 23,575 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
122 people are in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 161 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 283 hospitalizations.
19 people are in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as 17 people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care for a total of 36 ICU patients.
The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 761. Due to a data error, one death that had been reported earlier has been removed.
The two deaths reported today include:
- a male in his 70s from Southern Health-Santé Sud
- a male in his 80s from the Winnipeg health region
Today’s COVID-19 data shows:
- 10 cases in the Interlake-Eastern health region;
- 69 cases in the Northern health region;
- eight cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
- 10 cases in the Southern Health-Santé Sud health region; and
- 83 cases in the Winnipeg health region.
According to the province’s data, there are active cases in the following Parkland health districts: Dauphin (6, down from 10), Riding Mountain (3), Swan River (0), Porcupine Mountain (56), Duck Mountain (7), Asessippi (5), Little Saskatchewan (3), Whitemud (3, down from 4), and Agassiz Mountain (43). Brandon has 72 active cases.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has 60 active cases, while Fisher/Peguis has 43.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Dauphin Animal Control has set multiple traps across the city after identifying a fisher — a small weasel-like predator with a reputation for harming small pets.
Animal Control Officer Todd Tarrant says he’s working alongside an experienced trapper with traps set across the city in case there’s more than one fisher.
He says it’s important for Dauphin pet owners to keep their cats inside during this time, as there’s a chance they could disrupt the trapping efforts.
Tarrant tells CKDM multiple pictures he's received have led to confirmation the animal in question is a fisher.
He anticipates the trapping efforts will take about a week, and says updates on the trapping efforts from Dauphin Animal Control can be expected in the coming week.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
As public health officials continue to recommend gathering only with members of your household, Manitobans are still encouraged to enjoy the outdoors.
The Northgate Trails, south of Dauphin, is a great place to take part in a variety of physical activities.
The 26 kilometres of trails are open for fat biking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing, to go along with walking.
The Dauphin Derailleurs have been working hard to keep improving the trails.
President of the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club, Brenda Gregory, says as a part of their capital project, a Wi-Fi tower has been put up not just for the trail goers, but also for those staying in the micro cabins.
The 5 micro cabins are heated, making them available all season, and they include bunk beds, with a small table, two chairs, matching nightstands, and the DRCSS designed coat hooks for the cabins.
The exterior of the cabin features a porch with two deck chairs and two bike stands. The cabins aren’t available to be booked quite yet, but according to the Northgate Trails Dauphin Instagram page, they’re working to create a booking page on Airbnb for the micro cabins.
The heated washroom facility is also open.
Brenda says the reception for Northgate from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People are happy to be out there and they love them, people are always smiling, you hear kids laughing and talking loudly. It’s just amazing, the environment out there is so positive.”
Gregory shares what she loves most about the trails.
“Even though I’m 61-years-old, they make me feel like I’m 10 again. They were designed beautifully by Alex Man, out of Scatliff+Miller+Murray in Winnipeg. So, they’re just fun to be on whether you’re walking, or whether you’re biking, or hiking.”
Brenda encourages people visiting the trails to look at the signs about trail etiquette. She adds that they’re asking for people to use snowshoes instead of boots when walking on the blue connector trails.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The mandatory two-week remote learning period for all Manitoba students grades 7 and up comes to an end after today.
Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer is expressing confidence in the decision to have students return to the classroom.
“There’s lots of safeguards, lots of great work from our education colleagues and operators. So we think the safeguards they have in place are keeping our kids safe. There’s so much benefit in having our kids back in school,” said Dr. Brent Roussin this week.
Older students from Grades 7 and up have been remote learning from home since the beginning of January, following the holiday break.
The Mountain View School Division anticipates the province will continue allowing school divisions to offer a remote learning option for students grades K to 8.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
