New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a crisis order directing hospitals to increase their capacity by 50% as coronavirus cases across the state surged 38% overnight to 20,875.

( monday************************************************) York is the state that is hardest-hit the united states behind New Jersey, Cuomo said. New York City, alone, is the reason 12,305 confirmed infections, he said.

“This could go on for several months,” Cuomo said. Roughly 13% of all of the cases have now been hospitalized thus far, 621 associated with the patients have wound up in the ICU and 157 folks have died, he said. 

“Nobody can tell you is it four months, six months, eight months, nine months. But it is several months,” Cuomo said. “We all have to now confront that that is a new reality. That is not going to change. You are not going to turn on the news tomorrow morning and they’re going to say surprise surprise this is all now resolved in two weeks.”

Cuomo estimated up to 80% associated with the state’s more than 19.4 million residents are certain to get the coronavirus. A week ago, Cuomo estimated you will find likely “tens of thousands” of COVID-19 cases into the state among residents who did not know that they had it. Monday

“Many people will get the virus but few will truly be in danger,” he said.

On Sunday, Cuomo said the state had 15,168 cases, more than France or South Korea were reporting at the time and those numbers are expected to dramatically rise as the state ramps up testing. Cuomo said New York has run 78,289 COVID-19 tests so far and is testing more than 16,000 people a day now. 

Cuomo has said he worries the outbreak will stretch U.S. hospitals to their capacity that is maximum the world doesn’t have sufficient hospital beds to handle a pandemic. Hospitals over the nation are running low on personal equipment that is protective. Cuomo said the state has had some luck finding extra gear for doctors and nurses and is sending hundreds of thousands of surgical masks, N95 masks, gloves and gowns to hospitals across the state.

He said he would have liked for hospitals to increase their capacity by 100%, but added that would be unreasonable.

“I think it’s unreasonable to tell hospitals to double their capacity,” Cuomo said. “They must increase by 50% at least.”

On Friday, Cuomo ordered nonessential businesses to keep 100% of their workforce at home and put in place stringent new restrictions on New Yorkers.

Cuomo said he has asked the federal government to nationalize the purchase of medical equipment and has signed off on several locations to build temporary hospitals to treat coronavirus patients. 

This is a story that is developing. Please check back for updates.