NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Nearly 45,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in New York State, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. Of those, 7,377 are new cases.
The number of dead has jumped from 385 on Thursday to 519.
New York City accounts for more than half of the total cases statewide with 25,398; 4,005 of those are new.
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New York schools will be closed for another two weeks, Cuomo also said at a Friday morning briefing.
Schools were initially closed until April 1. "We are going to close the schools another 2 weeks and then reassess," Cuomo said.
The governor also said the "apex" of hospital need could be in 21 days and discussed where he wants to build four new temporary hospitals providing 1,000 beds.
They are as follows:
Bronx: New York Expo CenterQueens: The Aqueduct Racetrack Brooklyn Cruise Terminal The College of Staten Island (CUNY)
College dorms are also being converted downstate since colleges are closed, Cuomo said. One of those is Queens College, City University of New York.The state is also looking to convert hotels and nursing homes, including the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge Hotel and the Brooklyn Center nursing home.
While addressing the National Guard at the Javits Center, Cuomo talked about this battle being a moment in history.
"This is going to be weeks and weeks and weeks," Cuomo said. "This is going to be a long day and it's going to be a hard day and it's going to be a sad day. You are living a moment in history. This is going to be one of those moments they're going to write about, they're going to talk about for generations. This is a moment that forges character, forges people, changes people. Makes them stronger, makes them weaker. Ten years from now, you'll be talking about today to your children or your grandchildren, and you will shed a tear, because you will remember the lives lost; and you'll remember the faces; and you'll remember the names; and you'll remember how hard we worked and we still lost loved ones."
"I say we go out there today and we kick coronavirus ass," Cuomo added.
New York has the most coronavirus cases of any state in the country. New Jersey is second, followed by California.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
