President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the next two weeks will be “very painful” in the US in terms of deaths from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid -19).

Speaking at a White House briefing, Trump urged Americans to brace for “hard days ahead,” two days after saying that holding US Covid-19 deaths between 100,000 and 200,000 would be a “good job”.

“I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,” he said. “We’re going to go through a very tough two weeks. This is going to be a very, very painful two weeks.”

On Sunday, Trump said the death rate in the US from the novel coronavirus would likely hit a peak in two weeks.

The Trump administration also extended social distancing through April 30 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, shifting his stance on re-opening the country for business by the Easter holiday on April 12.

“We will be well on our way to recovery” by June 1, Trump said Sunday.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus, officially known as Covid-19, has infected more than 850,500 people worldwide, including more than 184,100 in the US, and killed at least 42,000, including 3,721 in the US.

The virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. (Anadolu)