Anthony Almojera, a senior paramedic in New York City, has written a diary for the BBC of one day in his working life. He says that day - last Sunday - was the worst in his 17-year career. Here are his words:

"We arrive at a house and I put on my mask, gown and gloves.

We find a man. His family says he has had a fever and cough for five days. We start CPR and I watch the medics pass a tube down his throat to breathe for him.

We work on him for about 30 minutes before we pronounce him dead. I make sure the crews are OK and get back in my truck - decontaminating everything first. I hit the button to go available.

Twenty minutes later, I get another cardiac arrest. Same symptoms, same procedures, same results.

We hit the button, get another one.

It is now around 11:00 and I've done about six cardiac arrests.

In normal times, a medic gets two or three in a week, maybe. You can have a busy day sometimes, but never this. Never this."

Read more of Anthony's account here