Cuomo also announced Wednesday that 779 people have succumbed to the deadly virus in his state, recording the highest daily death count so far.

During a news conference that took place in Albany, Cuomo said it is highly unlikely for the state to "return to normal," stating that it looks like returning to yesterday is implausible. If people act smartly, Cuomo said at the news conference we can achieve a new normal.

Hinting at a slight chance of something positive happening, the governor indicated that the state's strict policy that includes closing non-essential businesses and urging people to stay home is coming in handy in restricting the spread of the virus. The social distancing strategy is helping to flatten the curve, he noted.

As long as those rules are maintained, Cuomo says there is a reason to believe that the system could stabilize over the next two weeks. If new figures are anything to go by, the coronavirus pandemic has been hammering the Empire State, CNBC reported.

On Wednesday, New York recorded an alarming 10,453 new cases, with 4,927 testing positive in New York City and 5,526 in other states. Half of the tests conducted in two New York City boroughs including Queens and the Bronx turned out to be positive, the state revealed.

Citing the line chart that represents the increase in new cases over time, Cuomo said that the state seems to be straightening the outbreak curve, but he also stated that the condition could improve only if people continue paying heed to social distancing guidelines.

To see that curve flatten, people must stop doing what they are doing, he said. The bad news, Cuomo said, isn't just bad, but rather terrible as he announced that the virus has claimed 779 more lives since the last count. This is the state's highest daily death toll until now.

In the United States, New York has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, with a staggering 140,386 confirmed cases over 5,489 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

During the press conference, Cuomo noted that behind each of the aforesaid numbers is an individual, a family, a father, a sister, which means "a lot of pain again today." He deemed the death rate as a "lagging indicator," also pointing out that New York is in the pinnacle of the pandemic and the officials claim that the state is on the verge reaching a plateau.