WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2020) US President Donald Trump told reporters that his administration is looking strongly at expanding capacity at hospitals throughout the United States amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
"We are looking into it very strongly," Trump said on Monday.
Trump added that New York is one of two US states that are under consideration for additional hospital capacity.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing that the authorities plan on requesting additional help from the US Federal government and the military.
Earlier on Monday, the Joint Staff surgeon Paul Friedrichs said the US military has a limited ability to fight the infectious disease, including lack of hospital beds.
At present, New York City needs to 5,000 additional hospital beds, Westchester County 2,000 beds, while both Nassau and Suffolk 1000 beds, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
New York has so far confirmed 950 cases of the COVID-19 infection, with seven deaths. Out of the 950 people who contracted the virus, 158, or 17 percent, are hospitalized.
