Manitoba Acting Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal reported 133 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon with a five day test positivity rate of 12.4 percent.  He also reported five additional deaths with four in the Winnipeg region and one in Southern health.  Atwal says this is good news but 133 cases and five deaths does not mean we can be careless with our actions, this does not mean we can take the restrictions currently in place less seriously, it does not mean you can go see friends and family outside our households or host people this Thursday to celebrate the new year, it means that our hard work is starting to pay off, it means limiting our contacts and working from home is making a difference, it means we need to keep doing what we are doing.

Of the new cases 97 are in Winnipeg region, 22 in Southern health and single digit numbers in other regions including three in Northern health.  Of the total 24,385 reported cases 4424 are active, 19,302 individuals have recovered and 338 are in hospital with 36 in intensive care.