Health officials in New York City recorded 279 new coronavirus cases just between morning and night on Tuesday, bringing the total to 923 as testing increases and the mayor considers a “shelter in place” order within the next 48 hours in the most populous city in America.

As of Tuesday night, there were ten coronavirus-related deaths in New York City, one of the largest cities in the world.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly indicated that the total number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the city went from 644 on Tuesday morning to 923 at night time, marking an increase of 279.

“BREAKING: [De Blasio] says that the city now 923 cases of [COVID-19], up from 644 THIS MORNING,” Jesse McKinley, the New York Times bureau chief in the capital of New York state, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night. “Also, now 10 deaths in the city”:

BREAKING: @BilldeBlasio

says that the city now 923 cases of #coronavirus, up from 644 THIS MORNING. Also, now 10 deaths in the city. — Jesse McKinley (@jessemckinley) March 18, 2020

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had indicated that the availability of more tests would trigger an increase in the number of confirmed cases.

.@NYGovCuomo has said that the increase in testing will mean more positive results. https://t.co/2xV1uBDE5A — Jesse McKinley (@jessemckinley) March 18, 2020

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have confirmed COVID-19 cases. NYC, like other cities across the United States, is currently under drastic restrictions and shutdowns.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor de Blasio warned city residents to prepare for a potential “shelter in place” order within the next 48 hours.

“It is definitely a possibility at this point,” the NYC mayor told reporters, acknowledging that such a move would have to be approved by state officials.

The New York Times explained:

Mr. de Blasio did not elaborate on what such an order would look like in New York City, but a similar directive in California’s Bay Area requires people to stay at home except for essential activities. The mayor said that such an order could limit movement in the city to people with essential jobs like police officers, firefighters, and health care workers. It could also allow people to go outside to exercise, although he noted that Italy had imposed more restrictive measures.

Soon after De Blasio briefed reporters, Gov. Cuomo rejected any suggestion that a “shelter in place” order was forthcoming.

“Any blanket quarantine or shelter in place policy would require state action, and as the governor has said, there is no consideration of that for any locality at this time,” Melissa DeRosa, a top aide to Cuomo, declared in a statement.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had confirmed a total of 4,226 COVID-19 cases (confirmed and likely) and 75 deaths across the United States and its territories.

The total number of U.S. cases recorded by the CDC more than doubled in just days, from the 1,629 reported on Friday.

As of Monday, the latest data available, the WHO had recorded 167,511 confirmed coronavirus cases and 6,606 deaths across 151 countries/territories/areas.