Canada's death toll from the coronavirus rose by less than 10 per cent for the third day in a row, data showed on Wednesday, and some provinces prepared to start lifting shutdowns imposed to fight the outbreak, Reuters reports.

The public health agency said the number of dead was 1,871, up 8.3pc from the 1,728 reported on Tuesday.

That follows a 7.3pc rise on Tuesday and 6.9pc on Monday, after a 12pc jump on Sunday. Some days last month were marked by a 20pc jump.

The figure for positive diagnoses with the coronavirus had climbed to 38,932, up from 37,382.

Chief public health officer Theresa Tam said authorities were continuing to make progress. Even so, “we are seeing some bumps in the road that remind us we can't let down our guard,” she told an Ottawa briefing, citing, for example, the large number of deaths in seniors' residences.