On Monday, a few blocks north of the Javits Center on the West Side of Manhattan, the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort docked, dispatched by US President Donald Trump.

Like the makeshift hospital, its 1,000 beds are also for patients who don't have the virus. The vessel is equipped with surgical rooms, a CAT scan unit, X-ray machines, a dental suite and two oxygen-producing plants－manned by 1,200 medical workers.

All 13 medical schools in the city, Long Island and Westchester County will allow their students to graduate early so they can help at inundated hospitals.

Only essential workers are allowed to go to their jobs in New York state. All others must remain indoors to curb the spread of the virus and to avoid hospitals becoming overwhelmed.

New York's political leaders have warned Trump and the public that the situation in the city will worsen this week, with mounting deaths.

"The virus continues its march across the state," Cuomo said at a news conference on Sunday. "I don't see how you look at those numbers and conclude anything less than thousands of people will pass away."

On Tuesday, a grimmer Cuomo said: "I'm tired of being behind this virus. We've been behind this virus since day one. We've been playing catch up, you don't win playing catch up. We have to get ahead of it."

Cuomo reiterated that the state needs many more ventilators. He said it placed an order for 17,000 from China for $25,000 each, but only expects to receive 2,500, because California, Illinois and the Italian government also ordered the same ventilators.

De Blasio said he has requested 1,000 nurses, 300 respiratory therapists and 150 doctors from the ranks of both reserve and deployed military personnel to help when a wave of new cases arrives.

He said the federal government has supplied 2,500 ventilators－a crucial resource during the pandemic－but the city needs 15,000 as soon as possible.