Winnipeg Free Press Save to Read Later A new study found more Manitobans were hospitalized at a greater number than other provinces during the third wave. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) The intense pressure of COVID-19 on Manitoba’s hospital system — which forced 57 critically ill patients out of province for care — was greater than all its western peers, leaving officials trying to understand why. The intense pressure of COVID-19 on Manitoba’s hospital system — which forced 57 critically ill patients out of province for care — was greater than all its western peers, leaving officials trying to understand why. Last month, as the third pandemic curve was trending downward, Manitoba public health reached out to federal counterparts at the Public Health Agency of Canada with a question: Was the proportion of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba requiring hospital care greater than what was seen in other provinces?