Province reports 18 new highly contagious-strain COVID cases Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer. More than 20 per cent of Manitoba’s highly contagious COVID-19 variant cases have no known origin. More than 20 per cent of Manitoba’s highly contagious COVID-19 variant cases have no known origin. The majority of cases involving local variants of concern have spread via close contacts, but nine of the total 41 cases haven’t been connected to any other case, the province announced Monday. The increase in highly contagious COVID-19 variants has the province’s top doctor pledging more aggressive contact tracing and case investigations, but no changes to either have been announced.