New York state coronavirus deaths spike to 385, 100 in single day
A patient arrives at Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York, New York, USA, 26 March 2020. New York City is now an epicenter of coronavirus COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, New York City has reported over 20,000 confirmed cases and 280 deaths. (EPA Photo)


New York's governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that the state's coronavirus death tally had jumped to 385, with 100 fatalities in the past day.

The announcement comes hours after the total US death toll surpassed 1,000. New York is at the epicenter of America's coronavirus battle and the state has now counted 37,258 positive cases, as it scrambles to prepare hospitals for an influx of new patients.

New York State alone accounted for more than 30,000 cases, most occurring in New York City. The city's convention center is being turned into a temporary hospital.

At Mount Sinai Morningside hospital, heart surgeons, cardiologists and cardiovascular nurses now care for coronavirus patients in a converted cardiac unit.

Floating hospitals from the U.S. Navy are heading to Los Angeles and, eventually, New York.

Military mobile hospitals are promised to Washington state.

Over half the U.S. population is now under some form of lockdown as authorities nationwide seek to stem outbreaks. Birmingham, Alabama, and Charlotte, North Carolina have become the latest major U.S. cities to order residents to stay indoors.

Worldwide, the death toll climbed past 21,000, according to a running count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The number of dead in the U.S. rose to 1,041 as of late Wednesday, with nearly 70,000 infections.