Coronavirus: First person dies after testing positive for virus in New York City

421 cases have been reported in New York State, including 154 in NYC

An 82-year-old woman in New York City has become the first coronavirus-related death in New York State, according to governor Andrew Cuomo.

The woman, who died in Manhattan and who has not been identified, had emphysema, which the governor said contributed to her death.

“If you are 82 years old and you have emphysema and you get the flu, you are in a serious position,” he said on Saturday.

The coronavirus outbreak has been met with significant changes among New York's hospital networks, with New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation — the operator of the largest municipal health system in the country — announcing that they would suspend non-emergency surgeries.

New York University's Langone Medical Centre’s Tisch Hospital, meanwhile, has announced it is converting a paediatric emergency room into an intensive care unit for adults. Northwell Health, another sprawling hospital system, has asked retired nurses to return to work.

But even those preparations in New York City's hospitals — which are often regarded as some of the best in the world — may be falling short of the steps necessary to combat the quick evolving epidemic.

“We are not prepared to deal with a rapid and severe surge of patients — we’re just not," Dr Christopher M. Tedeschi, an emergency physician with Columbia University Medical Centre, told the New York Times. “We’re sort of planning for what’s going on right now, and we’re trying to make up for lost time, but I’m not sure we’re planning for a month from now, or even two weeks from now.”

New York State is among the hardest hit states so far in the coronavirus epidemic, with Washington State known currently as the epicentre of the outbreak in the country. So far, 421 cases have been reported by the state health department, including 154 in the city.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has urged residents to avoid the city's subway system when possible, but has so far refused to shut the city's school system down.