Chief Nursing Officer Lanette Siragusa with Manitoba Shared Health reports higher rates of COVID-19 among health care workers.  She explains just as many Manitobans are now seeing symptomatic or COVID positive cases among their friends and family at a much higher rate than earlier in the pandemic they are also now seeing increased illness and positive cases among our health care workers.  She notes this is both related to exposure in the community and potential exposures in the workplace as outbreaks and increased numbers of COVID positive patients are identified.  She points out for the week of December 19^th to 26^th 418 health care workers tested positive for COVID which is nearly seven times the numbers seen last week.

  Siragusa also reports higher hospitalizations among young people with 34 of the 190 COVID-19 patients in Manitoba hospitals under the age of 40.