California Gov. Gavin Newsom Gavin NewsomBen Shapiro's Daily Wire leaving California: 'Terrible governance has consequences' Who's right on climate change: Trump or Newsom? The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump, Biden couldn't be more different on climate change MORE (D) says that his state has seen hospitalizations surge as a result of coronavirus.

At a press briefing Wednesday, Newsom said that the number of coronavirus cases in ICU had jumped to 774, four times what it was a week ago. The total number of those who have been hospitalized in the state sits at more than 1,800, three times higher than last week.

“It gives you a sense of the nature of the spread and the nature of the attack of this virus and the nature of our focus as it relates to preparing for this surge,” Newsom said Wednesday, according to the Mercury News.

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“Those numbers represent our most urgent need in terms of keeping people alive and keeping people healthy and safe in the state of California,” the governor added . “It is incumbent that we prepare for a surge in the number of hospitalizations and the number of ICU patients.”

The state has registered more than 8,000 cases of the disease, a high number but still behind hotspots in the U.S. such as Washington or New York. Newsom has warned publicly that he expects the state's number of confirmed cases to rise.

“Over the next few weeks we expect these numbers to increase,” he posted Tuesday on Twitter. “This disease can impact anyone. Stay home. Take this seriously.”