NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th April, 2020) New York City will face a substantial increase in the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the coming days, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing on Friday.
"We're about to hit a huge surge in these coming days," de Blasio said.
As of Friday, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has exceeded 57,000 in New York City. Meanwhile, de Blasio pointed out, the city is struggling to collect enough ventilators to treat patients during next week.
According to the mayor, to respond to the outbreak, local hospitals need at least 15,000 more ventilators, including an immediate 2,500-3,000 machines to get through next week. Additionally, the city urgently requires 45,000 more medical staff and 85,000 hospital beds.
"We are in the middle of a war, a war against an invisible enemy," de Blasio said. "We are dealing with an enemy that is killing thousands of our fellow Americans."
He further called on US President Donald Trump to create a national enlistment of civilian healthcare professionals from all over the country and to ensure that military medical personnel is deployed to fight the pandemic in New York.
