NYC Coronavirus Supplies To Run Out In A Week, Mayor Says

NEW YORK, NY — New York City will run out of the supplies it needs to fight the new coronavirus pandemic in about a week, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

With both the number of cases and death count rising rapidly —it had spiked to nearly 27,000 cases and 450 deaths by Friday evening, according to de Blasio — the mayor fears the city will be in dire need of staff, medical supplies and necessary equipment like masks, gowns and ventilators by next Sunday.

"After next Sunday, April 5 is when I get very, very worried about everything we're going to need," de Blasio said in a press briefing. "We need to make sure that we can get to that day ready to face the week after that, and the week after that as well, and right now we're not there."

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The mayor said he relayed this message to President Donald Trump during a call with him earlier that day, urging him to help send more medical personnel and supplies.

"We're going to need help from outside to get through the sheer magnitude of the crisis ahead," de Blasio said.

So far, Trump has sent 4,000 ventilators to New York, half of which will be sent to New York City. But de Blasio emphasized Friday that the city has estimated it needs 15,000 ventilators, and a total of 30,000 across the state.

On Friday, deliveries of protective equipment for healthcare workers were on their way to hospitals, including 20 trucks with 1 million surgical masks, 200,000 N95 masks, 50,000 face shields, 40,000 isolation gowns and 10,000 boxes of gloves, de Blasio said. The supplies had been collected by the city's agencies after donations poured in from across the country, he said.

Another 800,000 N95 masks and 2 million more surgical masks would be delivered Saturday, de Blasio added.

But he warned that even that supplies would not be enough come April 5.

"Right now we must keep getting more to make sure we can get passed Sunday, April 5th," de Blasio said.

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