The Surgeon General warned on Friday that some states would still be battling coronavirus by Labor Day as he became the latest expert to discredit President Trump's Easter deadline to stamp out the virus.

Dr. Jerome Adams spoke during an appearance on Good Morning America where he said the reality is that while some states will overcome the pandemic first, it will travel throughout the country gradually.

The situation will not be over by April 12 - Easter - and some communities may still be battling it in September, he said.

'Everyone's timeline is going to be different. Some places haven't hit their peak yet.

'We're trying to give people the testing data to make informed choices. It doesn't matter if it's Easter, Memorial Day or Labor Day.

'We know we want people to be thinking about what they can do now to get through as few deaths and hospitalizations as possible,' he said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday morning that the city may be closed until the end of May.

A study by the University of Washington School of Medicine found also said the pandemic in the US would last until June, and that it may kill as many as 81,000 by then - even taking social distancing into account.

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Dr. Jerome Adams spoke during an appearance on Good Morning America where he said the reality is that while some states will overcome the pandemic first

We speak with @Surgeon_General Jerome Adams about whether the “slow the spread” initiative is working and how restrictions may vary for different areas of the country as the United States tops the world in cases. https://t.co/Y7dKQRF9le pic.twitter.com/57FXJ2S8Bh — Good Morning America (@GMA) March 27, 2020

While the US is behind China and South Korea by around seven weeks, he said the evidence in those two countries suggests the steps being taken now are working.

'We know it's working. We know that China and South Korea are reopening,' he said.

President Trump has suggested implementing stricter rules in some states and cities that are battling the virus while allowing others to relax their lockdown rules.

Dr. Adams said it could work if local governments cooperated.

'The way it works is through cooperation.

'The authority lies at the state level. Nineteen of the 50 states in the country have been testing and documented persistently low spread.

'We want to make sure those places know what the situation is. So that if they're in a high risk area, they're taking appropriate precautions.

President Trump suggested earlier this week that the country could reopen by April 12

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House's authorative voice on the virus, said the president made that deadline to give people hope but that it was not necessarily realistic

The US has now overtaken Italy with the number of new coronavirus cases per day

As of Thursday, 1,300 people had died in the US as a result of the virus

'If you're in a low risk area, it doesn't mean that you stop washing your hands or that you stop social distancing.

'It just means you may not be in total lockdown like New York or California,' he said.

On Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci - the highest authority on the disease in the White House's task force - said the president's April deadline was designed to give people hope.

'I think what the President was trying to do, he was making an aspirational projection to give people some hope,' Fauci said of the proposed April 12 target date on CNN Thursday night.

'But he's listening to us when we say that we've really got to reevaluate it in real time, and any decision we make has to be based on the data,' Fauci continued.

'When you have a situation when the cases today compared to tomorrow is increased dramatically and then the next day is increased dramatically, that's no time to pull back,' he said

Coronavirus could kill 81,000 people in the US over the next four months even if social distancing lockdowns WORK - and the worst of outbreak may not subside until June, analysis finds

An analysis as found that the coronavirus pandemic could kill 81,000 in the US over the next four months

Deaths ranged from as low as around 38,000 to as high as around 162,000

The team suggests it may not subside until June or even July, but by then deaths should be below 10 per day

Americans need to follow guidelines such as social distancing and staying home for this to work, researchers say

In the US, more than 86,000 people have been infected and more than 1,000 people have died

The coronavirus pandemic could kill more than 81,000 Americans over the next four months and may not subside until June, a new analysis suggests.

Researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine predict that the number of US deaths could vary widely, ranging from as low as around 38,000 to as high as around 162,000.

The number of hospitalized patients is expected to peak nationally by the second week of April, though the peak may come later in some states.

Some people could continue to die of the virus as late as July, although deaths should be below epidemic levels of 10 per day by June at the latest, according to the analysis.

However, the team says that this is only if people follow local and federal guidelines and stay indoors.

As of Thursday, 1,300 people had died in the US as a result of the virus .Researchers say the coronavirus pandemic could kill 81,000 Americans over the next four months.

The US has now overtaken Italy with a higher number of new coronavirus cases per day

The number of new cases per day in the US is also now much higher than China ever admitted

For the analysis, the team analyzed data from the local and federal government, hospital and other sources.

Dr Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said the variance in deaths is due in part to disparate rates of the spread of the virus in different regions.

For example, the virus had spread quite rapidly in New York City but has been slow in several Midwest and Mountain states.

The duration of the virus means there may be a need for social distancing measures for longer than initially expected, Dr Murray, who led the study said.

However, he added that the country may eventually be able relax restrictions if it can more effectively test and quarantine the sick.

The analysis also highlights the strain that will be placed on hospitals.

At the epidemic's peak, sick patients could exceed the number of available hospital beds by 64,000 and could require the use of around 20,000 ventilators.

Ventilators are already running short in hard-hit places like New York City. Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that New York State needs 30,000.

The virus is spreading more slowly in California, which could mean that peak cases there will come later in April and social distancing measures will need to be extended in the state for longer, Murray said.

Louisiana and Georgia are predicted to see high rates of contagion and could see a particularly high burden on their local healthcare systems, he added.

The analysis assumes close adherence to infection prevention measures imposed by federal, state and local governments.

'The trajectory of the pandemic will change - and dramatically for the worse - if people ease up on social distancing or relax with other precautions,' Dr Murray said in a statement.

The analysis comes as confirmed coronavirus cases in the US continue to mount, with the World Health Organization saying the country has the potential to become the world's new epicenter of the virus.

Globally, the virus has infected more than half a million people, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.