Manitoba announced two new cases of COVID-19, as it reached 300 cases throughout the pandemic.
The latest patients involve a trucker who travelled outside the province, and one of his close household contacts. Both are men, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, who live in the Winnipeg health region.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin couldn’t say whether there were possibly other people exposed to the trucker.
According to CBC, three of Manitoba’s last four cases in the Winnipeg region have been truck drivers. Two other truckers also tested positive for the respiratory virus last week.
“They’re doing everything correct: watching for symptoms very closely, getting tested as soon as any symptoms develop and limiting those contacts,” said Roussin.
“We know [trucking is] necessary for the transportation of goods. We need that. And so we need to accept some level of risk for it, but from all of these indicators, things are being done right.”
In May, health officials had to address an outbreak at a Brandon trucking company, Paul’s Hauling. The company said none of the infected patients were drivers, but 11 people connected to the workplace contracted the virus.
Health officials and the Manitoba Trucking Association continue to work closely together. Truckers who leave the province regularly have been provided the option to get tested even if they aren’t showing symptoms at the end.
Among the province’s 300 total cases, there are now 284 who have recovered. Since seven people have died, there are nine active patients throughout Manitoba.
In its latest 24-hour stretch, 671 COVID-19 tests were completed, bringing the total number of tests to 47,372.
