Coronavirus: New York governor begs for help as death toll tops 1000

Donald Trump may extend social-distancing as New York’s governor pleads for help in the face of a “staggering” death toll.

The 1000-bed USNS Comfort medical ship moves up the Hudson River in New York, where hospitals have been overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump has said he may extend social distancing beyond the end of April if health experts advised him to do so, as New York’s Governor pleaded for help in the face of a “staggering” death toll from the coronavirus.

The US President’s comment came as the country digested the grim forecast that as many as 200,000 Americans might die from the fast-spreading virus.

Donald Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Picture: AFP)

Mr Trump said on Tuesday (AEDT) there were “challenging times” ahead for the country. “This is a very vital 30 days, we’re sort of putting it all on the line,” he said at the White House.

In New York, the surge in infections and deaths — in which 253 people died in the 24 hours to Monday — led Governor Andrew Cuomo to plead for help from the rest of the country.

“As Governor of New York, I am asking healthcare professionals across the country: if you don’t have a healthcare crisis in your community, please come and help us in New York now,” Mr Cuomo said. “We have lost more than 1000 New Yorkers. To me, we’re beyond staggering already.”

He said the state now had more than 66,500 cases of COVID-19 and that 1218 people had died. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the daily increase in the number of patients needing treatment.

“The situation is painfully clear now,” Mr Cuomo said. “There’s no question (as to) what we’re dealing with. There’s no question as to the consequences. There’s no question as to the grief and the loss of life.” The Governor has warned that New York does not have enough hospital beds — including intensive care beds — or ventilators to cope with the expected peak in coronavirus cases in the next two weeks.

A 1000-bed navy hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, docked in Manhattan on Tuesday. And the US Army has constructed four temporary hospitals in the greater New York region, including one in Central Park.

Tuesday was the deadliest day in the pandemic in the US so far, with almost 500 people dying. Total cases have soared to 160,000 and more than 2917 deaths.

Worldwide, there have been a total of 784,716 cases and 37,639 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.

People set up beds in an emergency field hospital in Central Park, New York. Picture: AFP

In the face of the soaring US death toll, Mr Trump flagged the possibility that he could extent the period of social-distancing requirements into May and beyond.

On Monday, the President extended social-distancing guidelines until the end of April, dashing his own hopes that he could start to reopen the US economy by Easter on April 12. But he said he would continue to defer to his health experts in deciding when to ease the guidelines.

Mr Trump said he would “rely on” the advice of his key health advisers, Anthony Fauci and Debbie Birx, should they recommend there needed to be a further extension of social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.

“Anthony and Deborah have been doing this for many years, and I’m going to rely on them,” he said. “But, you know, I think that — hey, the worst thing we can do is declare victory. We’ve seen this: declare victory, and then not have victory, and then have to do it all over again. We have to get this thing gone, this virus. We have to beat it. We’re at war. This is a war.”

Mr Trump said that although the death toll was expected to spike in the weeks ahead, he believed there would be “real progress” by the end of April.

“We’re thinking that around Easter, that’s going to be your spike. That’s going to be the highest point, we think,” he told the Fox Network. “And then it’s going to start coming down from there. That will be a day of celebration.”

He said there should be “some real progress” in slowing the spread of the disease by the end of April. “And then, by a little short of June, maybe June 1, we think the — you know, it’s a terrible thing to say, but we think the death toll will be at a very low number. It’ll be brought down to a very low number from right now, from where it’s getting to reach its peak,” he said.

Apart from New York, US health officials are also alarmed by the steep rise in infections and deaths in other large cities, including New Orleans, Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia