President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the next two weeks will be “very painful” in the U.S. in terms of deaths from the novel coronavirus. Speaking at a White House briefing, Trump urged Americans to brace for “hard days ahead,” two days after saying that holding U.S. COVID-19 deaths between 100,000 to 200,000 would be a “good job.” Graphs shown at Tuesday’s briefing highlighted that without the measures COVID-19 deaths in the US could reach 2.2 million. “It’s absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days,” Mr Trump said. “It’s a matter of life and death, frankly. “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,” he stressed. On Sunday, Trump said the death rate in the U.S. 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. According to Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has infected more than 850,500 people worldwide, including over 184,100 in the U.S., and killed at least 42,000, including 3,721 in the U.S.