U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top 143,000 as New York Passes 1,000 Deaths

The U.S. death toll surpassed 2,500 after President Trump extended federal social distancing guidelines until April 30.

Emergency medical workers wear protective masks due to COVID-19 concerns while delivering a patient to the emergency room at Brooklyn Hospital Center, Sunday, March 29, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York.

THE U.S. HAS MORE THAN 143,000 cases of the coronavirus with more than 1,000 deaths in New York state alone.

The worsening numbers led President Donald Trump on Sunday to announce anextension of the administration's federal guidelines for slowing the spread of the virus until April 30. He said the highest death rate is likely to happen in two weeks. Trump had talked of reopening parts of the U.S. by Easter.

More than 2,500 people in the U.S. have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. The virus has claimed lives in almost every state, with only Wisconsin and Hawaii not reporting any deaths. Last week, the U.S. became the country with the most coronavirus cases, and new hot spots appear to be emerging in places like Louisiana and Michigan.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday that the virus could infect more than a million people in the U.S. and kill between 100,000-200,000 people.

As of Sunday, New York state health officials reported nearly 60,000 cases of the virus.

New York's grim milestone comes after Trump over the weekend said he was considering quarantining the area but backed off the idea amid resistance from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said over the weekend that any residents who break social distancing rules could be fined up to $500.

"They're going to give people every chance to listen, and if anyone doesn't listen, then they deserve a fine at this point," de Blasio said on Sunday.