Coronavirus Update: Mayor Bill De Blasio Says NYC Needs Thousands More Trained Medical Professionals
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City is seeing police officers, firefighters and medical workers all succumb to the coronavirus.
On Saturday, Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a dire warning for the days and weeks ahead.
"We're almost a quarter of the cases in the entire United States of America right here in New York City. We're the epicenter and it's very painful," he said. "The worst is actually ahead. And I don't, I don't like telling you that, but it's true. The next few weeks and maybe even longer are going to be the toughest time, and we need the federal government fully mobilized to address this crisis. There's too many folks in Washington acting like it's peacetime when it feels like wartime right here in New York and a lot of other cities around the country."
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The mayor says the city is running low on doctors and nurses.
He wants 45,000 more trained medical personnel and is calling on the federal government to create a National Enlistment Service to facilitate transfers and training.