New York, New York - Governor Andrew Cuomo will receive an Emmy for his "his masterful use of television" during the coronavirus pandemic, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said on Friday.

The governor, whose brother Chris – a CNN anchor – has been awarded multiple Emmys himself, will receive the International Emmy Founders Award "in recognition of his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world," the academy said in a statement.

Starting at the beginning of March, Cuomo held 111 consecutive televised daily briefings to update the public on the coronavirus pandemic, as his state emerged as the initial epicenter of the outbreak in the United States.

According to the academy, the briefings have drawn a total of 59 million viewers.

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The communications included the emotional disclosure early in April that his brother Chris tested positive for the virus.

"The Governor's 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure," said academy head Bruce Paisner.

"People around the world tuned in to find out what was going on, and New York tough became a symbol of the determination to fight back."

Over 584,000 people have so far tested positive for the virus in New York state, with over 26,000 deaths.

The US, which has a population of around 330 million, has seen far more deaths and cases than any other nation, recording more than 252,500 fatalities and 11.7 million infections since the start of the pandemic.