New York's Cuomo appeals to healthcare workers elsewhere to help state

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made a forceful call on Monday for healthcare professionals elsewhere to help the state's overwhelmed healthcare system battle the coronavirus, which has killed more than 1,200 people in the state.

"Please come help us in New York now," Cuomo told a briefing at a makeshift hospital at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. "We need relief." Cuomo said 66,497 people had tested positive in New York, up about 7,000 from Sunday, and that 1,218 New Yorkers had died from the virus, up from the previous day’s total of 965 deaths.

The governor appealed for unity and bipartisan cooperation in the fight against the virus. He promised New York healthcare workers would return the favor to other parts of the country that might need help later. "In this situation, there are no red states and there are no blue states and there are no red casualties and there are no blue casualties. It's red, white and blue. This virus doesn't discriminate," he said.

He said he agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump that dealing with the coronavirus was akin to a war, adding: "then let's act that way."