Canada coronavirus deaths jump 20%

The number of people killed by the coronavirus in Canada has jumped by just over 20% to 258 in a day, officials said on Sunday.

By 11:05 eastern time (1505 GMT), the total number of those diagnosed with the coronavirus had risen by almost 12% to 14,426, the public health agency said. The respective figures on Saturday were 214 deaths and 12,924 positive diagnoses.

The outbreak looks set to tip the economy into recession and the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already announced stimulus measures totaling C$105 billion ($74 billion) in direct spending, or 5% of gross domestic product.

Trudeau said his government was contacting reservists across the country to offer them full-time jobs for the coming months.

“Bolstering the military’s ranks will help offset some of the economic consequences of COVID-19 and ensure our communities are well supported,” he told a daily briefing.