Elmhurst Hospital in New York John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx/AP

A nurse at Elmhurst Hospital in New York described to CNN how quickly patients are deteriorating in their hospital.

"It’s frightening because although they are sick, they appear stable," the nurse said. "Then right before your eyes they start to desaturate and in a few moments, they are gone."

Desaturate refers to a patient's oxygen saturation levels dropping to unsafe and, in this case, fatal levels.

The nurse said they watched, completely helpless, with two doctors alongside, as patients died from coronavirus complications.

"Even though you restart the heart, they cannot breathe and before you get a minute to process the life lost, they come and snatch the ventilator," the nurse said. "And (then) another patient is crashing."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed the stresses this particular hospital is experiencing during his daily press conference.

Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Elmhurst had been the hospital hit hardest by the surge in cases and more medical personnel were being sent there. CNN previously reported that 13 patients died at the hospital from coronavirus within 24 hours last week.