Canada coronavirus death toll jumps almost 50% in less than a day

OTTAWA, March 22

The Canadian death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped almost 50% percent to 19 in less than a day,  according to official figures released by the federal government on Sunday.

Ottawa said late on Saturday that 13 people had died from the respiratory illness caused by the virus, but by 9 a.m. ET (1300 GMT) on Sunday that number had grown to 19. The number of confirmed cases rose to 1,302 from 1,099, with a further 69 people listed as probably suffering from the highly contagious virus.

Canada has already closed its borders to all but essential travel, announced a C$27 billion aid package for the most affected by the health crisis and is urging people to practice self-isolation.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said on Saturday that “Canadians need to understand this isn’t about two weeks of social distancing. This is about months of social distancing.” Nova Scotia on Sunday became the latest of Canada’s 10 provinces to declare a state of emergency, closing its borders to non-residents and threatening to arrest those who did not practice self-distancing.

Premier Stephen McNeil told a news conference that despite warnings to avoid meeting in large groups, people were flocking to provincial parks and other common areas.

“We are dealing with a deadly virus and this behavior is unacceptable,” he said. Reuters