WINNIPEG – The WRHA says long term care homes in Winnipeg are recovering at a level that gives cause for cautious optimism after seeing months of deadly COVID-19 outbreaks. New data from the health authority shows less than half of the city’s care homes have ongoing outbreaks, and at least half a dozen don’t have any COVID cases. On-site support from the Canadian Red Cross is also no longer deemed needed at any care home in Winnipeg.

There’s also only one large-scale outbreak in the health region. Southeast Personal Care Home had their outbreak declared in early January. Recently, Actionmarguerite St. Vital, Golden Links Lodge, and Oakview Place were declared COVID-free. The WRHA says, while there were just over two dozen cases among PCH residents and staff, that number is trending downward, and has been for several weeks as those residents and staff members get vaccinated. An outbreak is considered over 28 days after the last case is finished isolating.

The province says, as of this week, every single PCH resident in the province who consented to receive a vaccine – more than 8,100 individuals – has gotten at least one dose. The WRHA says nearly half of them live in Winnipeg, where 93.5 per cent agreed to be vaccinated.