Manitoba reports first case of Brazil P.1 COVID-19 variant The media briefing comes a day after health officials confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 P.1 variant in the province.The variant, first detected in Brazil, was discovered in the case of a person from the Interlake-Eastern health region, the province said in a release Thursday.The P.1 variant is believed to be more transmissible and capable of evading prior immunogenicity — or reinfect people who have previously been infected with the original, or “wild,” type of COVID-19.On Thursday the government also said it will soon expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to include first responders across the province and all adults living in communities most at risk of the.