Two of the principal US coronavirus hot spots - New York and Louisiana - reported their biggest jumps in Covid-19 deaths yet on Friday, as the White House sent mixed messages on whether Americans should cover their face if they venture outdoors.
Doctors and nurses, many lacking adequate supplies of medical-grade face masks and other protective gear, were already confronting an onslaught from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the highly contagious coronavirus.
Another hot spot, Louisiana, reported a sharp jump in deaths, climbing 20% to 370 on Friday, marking the highest day-to-day increase in fatal cases yet for the Gulf Coast state. Louisiana's largest city, New Orleans, where Mardi Gras celebrations in late February are believed to have spread the virus before social distancing orders were imposed, has become a focal point of the crisis.
"Personally, it's hard to go through this all day, and then it's hard to stay up all night watching those numbers come in," Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
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