New York coronavirus ‘curve is actually increasing,’ state may need 140K hospital beds, Cuomo warns
National Guard deployed in California, Washington, New York amid coronavirus pandemic
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a sobering warning to residents on Tuesday as he said that the coronavirus curve hasn’t been “flattened,” and “is actually increasing.” He then cautioned that the apex of the virus could be as many as 14 to 21 days away.
“We projected an apex at 100,000 hospital beds needed, the new projection suggests as high as 140,000 hospital beds will be needed,” he said, adding that New York has 25,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
CORONAVIRUS IN THE US: STATE-BY-STATE BREAKDOWN
Cuomo called for ventilators to be sent to the state, as the region is dealing with 10 times more cases than New Jersey, which has the second-highest number of cases in the U.S., followed closely by Washington and California.
“New York is the canary in the coal mine,” he said. “New York is going first. We have the fastest and highest rate of infection. What’s happening in New York is going to happen in California, Washington Illinois, it’s just a matter of time.”
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Cuomo said that once New York has stifled the rate of infection and spread of the virus, it would be able to help other states not yet hit by the illness. Cuomo also vowed to explore every option to expand hospital capacity, including dorms and hotels.
“I will turn the state upside down to get the number of beds we need,” he said.
