Health and Science

Watch live: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio holds a press conference on the coronavirus outbreak

Key Points
  • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to hold a press conference on the coronavirus outbreak. 
  • The coronavirus has infected more than 14,900 people in the city.
  • On Friday, de Blasio said New York City had become the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak in the nation.

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to hold a press conference on the coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 14,900 people in the city.

Earlier on Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a "troubling and astronomical" number of coronavirus cases has increased the urgency across the state for more hospital beds as the outbreak spreads "unabated." Cuomo was speaking at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, where the Army Corps of Engineers is building four FEMA hospitals with 250 beds each for coronavirus patients.

On Friday, de Blasio said New York City had become the epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak in the nation. At that point the city had a third of all coronavirus cases in the nation. He also warned that the city will run out of protective gear for medical workers in two or three weeks if cases keep rising at this rate. 

"If you feel afraid, you are not alone, if you're anxious you are not alone," de Blasio said. "New Yorkers are so strong. There are other places in this country this might be a particularly shock to the system, but here ... we are tough people by nature."

The coronavirus has infected at least 46,500 people in the U.S. and had killed at least 590 people, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak.