State governors say their demands for more masks and other medical equipment are not being met, forcing them to compete with each other for critical supplies as the coronavirus pandemic escalates in the United States.

"This should have been a coordinated effort by the federal government...It's a Wild West out there...Indeed we're overpaying for PPE because of that competition," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on CNN's "State of the Union."

PPE stands for personal protection equipment, which includes critical medical supplies such as face masks.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that the federal government needs to nationalize the purchase of needed medical supplies, adding that the shortage of personal protective gear like masks and life-saving equipment like respirators is leading to price gouging.

Masks that used to cost 85 cents are now $7 because New York is vying with other states, according to Cuomo.

"Currently when states are doing it, we are competing against other states. In some cases, we're savaging other states," Cuomo said. "This is just an impossible situation to manage, if we don't get the equipment, we could lose lives that we could otherwise save if we had the equipment."