NY coronavirus cases jump to more than 26,000

NEW YORK - In announcing that the number of positive coronavirus cases in the state has jumped to 25,665 by Tuesday morning, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned the rest of the country that the virus is headed their way. By Tuesday evening, with revised numbers from New York City, the state total had swollen to 26,358.

"New York is the canary in the coal mine," Cuomo said.

There have been 4,700 new cases in the past 24 hours with 3,000 people now hospitalized. 756 of those victims are in ICU units. More than 15,000 of the cases are in New York City.

Cuomo warned that the infection rate is accelerating and the state needs an additional 30,000 ventilators to prepare for the coming weeks.

He says that the rate of new infections is doubling about every three days and the apex of the outbreak in the state will be in about 14 days.

After spending several days praising the Trump administration, Cuomo sounded a much darker tone on Tuesday morning warning that the 400 ventilators that FEMA sent were woefully short of the need.

"If we don't have the ventilators in 14 days it does us no good," Cuomo warned.

The governor thanked healthcare workers for their sacrifices in dealing with the growing number of patients.

"These are extraordinary people," he said. "They are going out there every day despite their fear. They are doing it for your family."

Cuomo added that the state is implementing trials of the drugs Hydroxychloroquine and Zithromax and Chloroquine starting Tuesday.