Canada expects coronavirus deaths to soar; job losses hit one million

FILE PHOTO: A view of Yonge and Dundas Square, as the number of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continue to grow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 8, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's coronavirus death toll is set to soar from the current 461 to as high as 22,000 by the end of the pandemic, health officials said on Thursday, while the economy lost a record 1 million jobs last month.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added to the somber tone by saying the country would not return to normal until a vaccine had been developed, which could be as long as 18 months.