When the coronavirus hit New York and the rest of the United States, the demand for medical supplies spiked dramatically as states competed with each other for this valuable equipment. 

New York spent at least $2 billion on medical equipment and supplies, spending sometimes 15 times the normal amount for gear in order to outbid other states and overcome price gouging. 

Now as New York, and the states surrounding, look to start reopening businesses, there is also the chance of a second wave.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday New York, along with seven other states, will be launching a regional purchasing consortium to jointly procure personal protective equipment and medical supplies. 

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts will be working together to purchase PPE, tests, ventilators and other medical equipment. 

"This will increase our market power and help present price gouging," Cuomo said. 

The regional purchasing consortium will also, Cuomo said, "identify and avoid irresponsible vendors, work to buy American and develop new in-state suppliers to reduce supply chain risk and drive regional economic development."

On top of that, the state will also be requiring hospitals to have a 90 day supply of PPE on hand in case there is a second wave of the coronavirus.

Cuomo said the coronavirus exposed some hard lessons on how the hospital system operates in New York. In upstate New York, there are only two public hospitals and 87 private hospitals. In the entire state, there are 20 public hospitals and 170 private hospitals. The system is mostly privately run hospitals independent from each other, with no integrated or coordinated health system.   

Cuomo explained this is why the state enacted the "surge/flex" management system coordinating patient capacity, equipment, and staff during the worst of the pandemic, forming a "de facto" statewide public healthcare system. 

In the past 24 hours, 280 people passed away from COVID-19 in New York. Out of these, 29 people died in nursing homes. The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases was at 789. 

"That is good news," Cuomo said. 

The number of new daily cases has been hovering at around 1,000 per day.

"Every person has to do their part," Cuomo said towards the end of his press conference on Sunday. "If you really want to say thank you [to frontline workers], make their life easier by not getting sick or getting someone else sick. Act responsibly and intelligently ... wear a mask."