New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Monday that Chinese coronavirus cases in the state have soared 38 percent overnight to 20,875, thanks in part to more widespread testing.

“This could go on for several months,” Cuomo said of the jump in cases during his daily press briefing. The governor noted approximately 13 percent of cases have been hospitalized thus far and 157 people have died.

“Nobody can tell you is it four months, six months, eight months, nine months. But it is several months,” he stated. “We all have to now confront that that is a new reality. That is not going to change. You are not going to turn on the news tomorrow morning and they’re going to say surprise surprise this is all now resolved in two weeks.”

New York has the most confirmed infections in the country, with New York City accounting for 12,305 of them.

Cuomo estimated that up to 80 percent of the state’s 19.4 million residents will contract the illness but has said that “few will truly be in danger.”

Cuomo also issued an emergency order Monday directing hospitals to increase their capacity by 50 percent.

“I think it’s unreasonable to tell hospitals to double their capacity,” he said. “They must increase by 50 percent at least.”

Meanwhile, the state is running clinical trials beginning Tuesday of the ant-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in response to testimonies that it is a possible treatment against the virus.