Coronavirus USA Update: US Death Toll Hits 2,457; Death Rate To Peak In 2 Weeks

President Donald Trump Sunday extended the federal social distancing guidelines to April 30 from April 15 to slow down the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, backtracking from widely criticized comments he wanted to open the U.S. for business by April 12, Easter Sunday.

"We will be extending our guidelines to April 30, to slow the spread," he said at the White House Rose Garden. "On Tuesday, we will be finalizing these plans and providing a summary of our findings, supporting data and strategy to the American people."

Trump said modeling shows the peak of the death rate will likely occur in two weeks.

"The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks, so I will say it again, the peak, highest point of death rates, remember this, is likely to hit in two weeks. Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won," Trump pointed out.

Trump said he hopes the country will be on its way to recovery by June 1.

"We can expect that by June 1, we will be well on our way to recovery, we think by June 1."

As of 22:21 GMT Sunday, the U.S. still leads the world in total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Massive testing nationwide has uncovered 140,960 cases, an increase of 17,382 from Saturday, and 2,457 deaths, a rise of 237, according to data website, Worldometer.

The world reported 720,187 confirmed cases Sunday (up 57,060) and 33,903 deaths (up 3,042) and 150,918 recoveries. On the other hand, 718,685 total confirmed global cases were reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. Of the world total, 139,675 came from the U.S., 97,689 from Italy and 82,122 from China.

In the U.S., the top five most infected states, according to Worldometer, are:

• New York, 59,513 cases (33,768 in New York City); 965 deaths (678 in New York City)
• New Jersey, 13,386; 161 deaths
• California, 5,846; 124 deaths
• Michigan, 5,486; 132 deaths
• Massachusetts, 4,955; 48 deaths

These five states account for more than 60% of the entire U.S. COVID-19 case total as of Sunday. New York State and New York City, however, had a hellish weekend and remain the country's pandemic epicenters.

More coronavirus updates across New York:

• A New York Police Department detective has become the third NYPD employee and the first cop to die as a result of COVID-19 over the past two days. The fatality was identified as Detective Cedric Dixon. He was a 23-year veteran stationed in Harlem, said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea. Dennis Dickson, a custodian at police headquarters, died Thursday, while Administrative Assistant Giacomina Barr-Brown died Friday.
  
  "We've lost three members of the NYPD family,'' said Shea said. "Today we are all mourning and hurting together, as a family. When we emerge from this crisis, let us never forget the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice."
• New York State will record its 1,000th death from COVID-19 late Sunday and governor Andrew Cuomo said this figure might ultimately represent a small fraction of what's ahead. He said 237 New Yorkers died Sunday. Cuomo said the latest death toll plus the rising number of positive cases will lead to a significant increase in casualties.
  
  "I don't see how you look at those numbers and conclude anything less than thousands of people will pass away," according to Cuomo. "Remember who it's attacking ... I don't see how you get past that curve without seeing thousands of people pass away. I hope it's wrong."
• Cuomo said most of the deaths Sunday, 678, were in New York City. He said while NYC is the most acute problem, the death toll will grow in the coming weeks across the state. He called this advance a "rolling apex."
• New York City Mayor de Blasio Sunday said 169 clinicians (physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) have been sent to hard-hit Elmhurst Hospital in Queens to assist in treating COVID-19 patients. He also said 55 ventilators were sent to Elmhurst over the past two weeks.
• New York City emergency rooms are serving twice as many patients as usual, Dr. Mitchell Katz, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, told NPR. Dr. Katz also said their intensive care units are three times more filled than usual. He pointed out the city's healthcare providers are serving under very difficult conditions. He also said everyone that has needed a ventilator has gotten one and that everyone needing PPE has gotten it. NYC Health + Hospitals operates the public hospitals and clinics in NYC.
• More than 500 contract nurses were added to the NYC Health + Hospitals system this week, said de Blasio Sunday. Another 500 are expected next week.
• The city sent 1,400 ventilators to hospitals throughout the city. It's less than a tenth of the total number needed, which is 15,000, said de Blasio.
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut late Saturday to refrain from non-essential travel for 14 days effective immediately to stop the "extensive community transmission" of COVID-19. The advisory, however, doesn't apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries such as trucking, public health professionals, financial services and food supply.