(CNN) President Donald Trump said Sunday night that the USNS Comfort, docked in New York, could be used for coronavirus patients if needed.

"That was not supposed to be for the virus at all and under circumstances. It looks like more and more we'll be using it for that," Trump told reporters at a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House. "The ship is ready and if we need it for the virus, we'll use it for that."

The USNS Comfort had originally been designated as a space for non-coronavirus patients to alleviate the pressure from New York hospitals.

New York City's hospitals have been overwhelmed with coronavirus cases and are struggling to respond to patients streaming in. A shortage of personal protective equipment has also placed medical workers at risk of contracting the virus.

The US coronavirus death toll is now more than triple that of the 9/11 attacks, with almost half of the known pandemic-related deaths in New York.

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