Federal officials have told doctors and health workers the nation's stockpile doesn't have enough basic medical equipment like masks and gowns to meet the expected crush of coronavirus cases.

The stark assessment, conveyed in a conference call Monday, comes as the Health Department has begun distributing supplies a national stockpile created for such health emergencies. But the administration is acknowledging the supply is 'finite' and sending the equipment out to priority areas and based on a population formula. 

With a looming shortage of beds that public officials fear could fall well short of demand in an outbreak, the White House is even considering the use of hospital ships, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx said. The problem: the Navy only has two of them, and they can't get inland.  

'The president is considering all of the options. We're looking at hospital beds, ICU beds, informed by the data from Seattle and Santa Clara, and I just really want to thank the governors and the health commissioners from those states who are providing us the on-the-ground daily reports of hospital utilizations,' Birx told Fox News. 

'There are multiple options in our reserve, including the V.A. Hospitals, Department of Defense medical treatment facilities and even hospital ships. There are a lot of things to consider and all of those things are on the table right now,' she said. 

In New York state, 19 per cent of positive coronavirus cases are being hospitalized, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a televised briefing from Albany, in a state where cases continue to spike. 

Adding to the need are infections that have been identified among medical professionals serving on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak.