Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 9, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba < 5- C M K e- PAGE A1 GIC Rate Special 45-MONTH 2.30%* *Rate subject to change. & & & 5^ ^1 I I GICs require a $500 & & & ^ & & & W minimum deposit. & & & SCU.MB.CA/MYSAVINGSTHURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020 M M MB FOUNDED IN 1872 ■Winnipeg free Press'► CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: A FEW FLURRIES. HIGH 2 — LOW -8 Dozens recovered; social-distancing measures may be working, province's top doctor saysDespite fewer cases, 'we can't let up' CAROL SANDERS AND LARRY KUSCH SINCE the first COVID-19 case was reported in Manitoba 27 days ago, Dr. Brent Roussin has been consistent in his daily message to Manitobans: Wash your hands, keep your distance. It seems his social-distancing mantra in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic may be having an effect. On Wednesday, Roussin announced just four new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total in Manitoba to 221. He also revealed that 69 people are listed as recovered from the coronavirus, an increase of 48 from the Tuesday. In each of the last five days, the number of new cases reported in Manitoba has been 12 or less. The picture elsewhere in Canada is more grim. On Wednesday, Ontario experienced its biggest one-day jump with 550 new cases, while Quebec now has the most fatalities among the provinces with 175 deaths from its 10,000 cases. Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, isn’t prepared to read too much into the daily fluctuations, but there was a hint of optimism. “These numbers may be a reflection of the benefit of our enhanced social-distancing strategies and the hard work Manitobans put towards that,” he said at his daily media briefing. But Roussin said the positive signs could easily vanish if the public doesn’t remain vigilant, and he warned that the next two weeks will be crucial in the pandemic fight. “Manitobans should not interpret the current case numbers to mean our risk is reduced,” he said. “I need to make this clear — now is not the time to let our guards down.” That’s particularly true during the looming long weekend. he said. As of Wednesday, there were 149 active cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, compared with 185 on Sunday and 127 on April 1. Active cases are the total number of persons who have tested positive, minus the number who have recovered or died. Roussin praised the efforts of the vast majority of people following Public Health Act orders and urged them not to stop now. “We can’t let up. We can’t miss our opportunity,” he said. “Our actions this weekend are critical to our numbers in the next week or two.” Three Manitobans have died from the virus — two men and a woman, all from Winnipeg. As of Wednesday, 12 people were in hospital, with six in intensive care. The perils of Manitobans letting down their guard was evident this week when a respiratory outbreak at Health Sciences Centre turned out to be COVID-19. Ten workers and four patients in a medicine unit at the HSC tested positive for the coronavirus, said Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer for Shared Health. The patients are in isolation and are being cared for, she said. Health officials were able to trace contacts back to the initial case of COVID-19 in the unit, and none of the staff who tested positive has worked since April 1, Siragusa said. Any staff who had close contact with any of the positive cases — including those who spend the majority of their day working in the affected unit — are self-isolating at home, she said. Those who worked only intermittently on the unit, had indirect contact with the positive cases and are asymptomatic were able to return to work wearing universal personal protective equipment and monitoring their symptoms. The infected unit has undergone a deep cleaning to prevent further spread of the virus and staff screening measures are still in effect, said Siragusa. Eight other health-care workers in Winnipeg and two in the Interlake-Eastern region have also tested positive for COVID-19.• VIRUS, CONTINUED ON A2 0 Job numbers to be released; cases in Canada surge to 19K 'Going to be a hard day': PM COLIN PERKEL TORONTO — Canada’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 jumped to almost 19,000 on Wednesday, with more than 420 deaths ascribed to the raging global pandemic as Quebec became the province with the most fatalities attributed to the disease. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new measures to offset the economic impact, fresh data indicated Quebec had 175 coronavirus deaths among its 10,000 cases. Ontario reported its biggest singleday jump — 550 new known cases — including 21 more deaths. COVID-19 has now killed 174 people in the province, 78 of them in nursing homes, including 28 in a single facility in Bobcaygeon, Ont. Premier Doug Ford said he wanted a quadrupling of tests to 10,000 a day. The battle to contain the pandemic has prompted governments and health authorities to impose or urge increasingly stringent social-isolation measures. As a result, much of the country’s commercial and recreational activity has all but ground to a halt. “Job numbers will come out tomorrow,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday. “It’s going to be a hard day.” To help cope with the precipitous job losses, Trudeau announced the government was loosening eligibility criteria for the previously announced emergency wage subsidies as well as a retooled summer jobs program to help students find work. Experts say frequent handwashing and staying at least two metres from others when outside for essential errands is the best way to rein in the pandemic. The B.C. government announced ahead of the Easter long weekend that all provincial parks would be off-limits because it was “too challenging” to ensure safe space between visitors. Manitoba said it was postponing public events marking the province’s 150th birthday. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who said mass testing — 20,000 a day — would be needed, indicated his province likely would not let up until the end of May given current projections. • PM, CONTINUED ON A3 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mitch Podworny, Red River College nursing student, had his work practicum called off in mid-March due to the pandemic. Student nurses seek to bolster front line Cancelling work placements 'not in best interest of public' MAGGIE MACINTOSH LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER STUDENT nurses are applying pressure on post-secondary institutions to resume practicum placements as soon as possible — a move that would be welcomed by the province — so they can support the novel coronavirus response efforts. As demand for health-care services mounts, alongside an increasing count of COVID-19 cases, students are keen to start working as registered nurses to alleviate pandemic pressures on the Manitoba healthcare system — but schools have delayed practicums. “Placing nursing practicums on hold is not in the best interest of the public; it contributes to further nursing shortages,” said Mitch Podworny, a final-year student at Red River College who was two weeks into his placement when it was called off indefinitely, on March 19. It has since been announced Pod-worny’s cohort will resume practicums in September, which means there will be a six-month delay before the class can graduate. Red River has suspended all work-integrated learning, citing student safety and government guidelines to reduce the exposure and transmission of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the University of Manitoba has pushed senior practicum start dates back one month for 116 students in order to figure out logistics due to COVID-19 disruptions and swap positions so students are in lower-risk placements. At the same time, Shared Health has made clear it will continue to welcome students into “clinically appropriate settings with mentor-ship and supervision to support their learning.” In recent weeks, the province has sent notices to educational institutes about its stance on the matter. • NURSES, CONTINUED ON A2 0 MORE ON CORONAVIRUS VIRUS HITS POLICE MASKING EFFECT City 911 operator first member of police service to contract COVID-19 / B1 Retired principal, Free Press writer stitch up protective gear solutions / A4 REMAINING VIGILANT SUBSIDY RULES RELAXED As death toll in New York surpasses 6,000, governor sees light at end of tunnel / A11 PM says adjustments will be made along the way after heeding criticism / A3 -e- -e- A_01_Apr-09-20_FP_01.indd A1 0 2020-04-08 11:08 PM ;