US: NYC mayor says coronavirus crisis may last into May

ANKARA

The impact of coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. could last into May, New York City mayor said on Friday, disputing President Donald Trump's remarks to open up the country by Easter.

"We think this crisis is going to grow through April into May," Bill de Blasio told Good Morning America program at ABC TV channel. "And we need the president and everyone in Washington to understand that that's just a blunt reality."

Emphasizing that a ventilator means "someone lives or dies," the mayor said that Trump does not look the facts of an "astronomical growth of the crisis" when he says the New York state does not need 30,000 ventilators.

"I can tell you right now we have enough supplies to get through this week and next week in our hospitals. That's all I can guarantee," he added.

Saying that there are nearly 2,500 ventilators in New York City, the mayor stressed the city needs 15,000 more, while the state needs 30,000.

"So we've got something and I'm thankful for that. But it has to keep coming," he added.

The mayor claimed that more than half of the people in NYC will "ultimately be infected" by the disease.

He added that 80% of the people will get through it in seven to 10 days with little impact and a cold, flu type of dynamic, however, for 20% of the people "it's going to tougher and fatal".

The mayor also said that Trump's aim to bring things back to normal until Easter is "a false hope," adding it would be better for the president to be blunt with people that the U.S. got "a really tough" battle ahead.

The U.S. became the country where most coronavirus-related cases have been seen in the world with more than 97,000 cases, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. The U.S. has now 1,438 fatalities from the epidemic, while more than 810 people recovered so far.

As of Friday, NYC records most coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. with 365 being the epicenter of the country.