New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered the cancellation of all elective surgeries in the state as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise.

Cuomo announced the directive at a Sunday briefing in Albany Sunday. He said it will take effect Wednesday.

The governor also said he is calling on the federal government to nationalize medical supply acquisition to help deal with the coronavirus crisis.

Cuomo said individual states can't obtain the equipment needed to serve those who have been infected.

The governor noted New York is competing against other states in its efforts to obtain things like masks, gowns and ventilators.

Cuomo said New York has 15 times more COVID-19 cases than any other state at this time. He said there now are 15,168 confirmed cases in New York state, an increase of 4,812 cases over the last day.

The number of people who have died in New York because of coronavirus has increased to 114. One of the deaths occurred at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton.

The governor has approved sites in New York City, Westchester County and Long Island for temporary hospitals.

Cuomo said "now we just have to get it done and get it done quickly." He asked President Trump "to cut the red tape and cut the bureaucracy" in the effort to save lives.

The governor said all New York state hospitals must come up with plans to increase their capacity by at least 50 percent.

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: 
bob@wnbf.com

For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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