Coronavirus: Andrew Cuomo thanks Rihanna for donating equipment to New York

New York State cases have jumped from 37,258 to 44,635 in a day

Andrew Cuomo has personally thanked Rihanna for donating equipment to help in the fight against coronavirus.

The New York governor extended his thanks to the artist in a tweet on Thursday, saying she had donated personal protective equipment (PPE).

PPE includes items such as masks, gloves, and gowns. It’s notably used by healthcare workers who need to avoid infection.

“I want to thank @rihanna and the Rihanna Foundation for donating Personal Protective Equipment to New York State,” Cuomo tweeted.

“We’re so appreciative of your help and that of so many others who have stepped up.”

The message came a day before Cuomo gave a solemn address from New York City’s Jacob K Javits Concention Centre, which has been turned into a temporary hospital.

New York could see a peak in the demand for hospital capacity in three weeks due to the coronavirus, and is planning to build a total of eight temporary hospitals to meet the surge, Cuomo said.

Speaking against a backdrop of makeshift hospital beds, the governor also said schools should remain closed for another two weeks until 15 April.

Cuomo has become a leading national voice on the coronavirus pandemic as the state has accounted for roughly one third of the national death toll and half the known number of cases.

He said 44,635 people have tested positive in New York, up about 7,400 from Thursday, and that 519 New Yorkers have died from the virus, up from the previous day’s total of 385 deaths.

Cuomo said the state was seeking to build another four temporary makeshift hospitals to add an additional 4,000 beds, which he called part of a plan B to try to make up for a shortage of medical resources.

He plans to ask the White House to grant the request to build those additional resources.

Additional reporting by Reuters