The US coronavirus death toll has passed 2,000 with over 120,000 confirmed cases – driven by soaring infections in New York City and other hotspots.

The grim tally – reported by Johns Hopkins University – came just days after the United States became the world’s number one country for total coronavirus infections.

A makeshift medical facility or coronavirus patients at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New YorkNew York is now the U.S. epicenter of the disease with 606 deaths and 44,000 cases in the state to date – almost half of the cases of coronavirus in the whole nation.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio cautioned this week around half of all New Yorkers may get coronavirus.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for 4,000 more temporary beds across the city, where the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has already been converted into a hospital.

EMERGING STATES OF CONCERN

And while coastal states have captured much of the attention, counties surrounding Chicago and Detroit were also emerging as areas of concern, said Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Worrisome infection numbers are now being reported in New Orleans, Chicago and Detroit.

Louisiana has recorded more than 2,700 cases, more than five times what it had a week ago, the Louisiana Department of Health said.

New Orleans sprawling Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, along the Mississippi River, is being converted into a massive hospital as officials prepared for thousands more patients than they could accommodate.

Dr. John Brooks of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Friday Americans remained in the acceleration phase of the pandemic and that all corners of the country were at risk.

“There is no geographic part of the United States that is spared from this,” he said.



HOSPITALS STRUGGLING

U.S. doctors and nurses on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak on Friday pleaded for more equipment to treat a wave of new patients expected to swamp capacity.

Hospitals in New York, New Orleans and other hot virus spots sounded the alarm about a shortage of medicine, supplies and trained staff.

The country is 11 days behind Italy in terms of of the virus spreading.

Trump took steps Friday to expand the federal governments role in helping produce critically needed supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic.



$2.2TRILLION RESCUE PACKAGE

President Donald Trump signed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic rescue package into law, after swift and near-unanimous action by Congress this week.

The package will support businesses, rush resources to overburdened health care providers and help struggling families during the deepening coronavirus epidemic.