New York, March 30 (RHC)-- Donald Trump has extended federal guidelines on social distancing until April 30th after a top health official warned more than 100,000 people could die from the coronavirus in the United States.  The announcement on Sunday evening came as the death toll in hard-hit New York state passed 1,000.

"The modeling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks," Trump told reporters at the White House.  "Therefore, the next two weeks and during this period it's very important that everyone strongly follow the guidelines ... We will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread."

The U.S. has 139,000 confirmed infections from the coronavirus, more than any other country in the world, while more than 2,400 people have died from the respiratory illness caused by the pathogen.  Worldwide, the number of cases has reached more than 718,000.  Some 149,000 people have recovered, and more than 33,000 have died.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday residents who do not adhere to strict social distancing rules can be fined up to $500 as the city scrambles to stem a surge in new cases. 

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that New York state will build eight temporary hospitals.  Tents started going up in NYC's Central Park over the weekend, and an emergency field hospital is expected to be open on Tuesday to start caring for overflow patients from nearby Mount Sinai West Hospital.