As new coronavirus cases soar, hospitalizations are on the rise across the state with the biggest jump happening on Long Island.

On Wednesday the U.S. set new records for COVID-19 hospitalizations and patients in ICU. However, over the last three days, Long Island saw 64 hospital admissions – the highest in the state.

In Suffolk County, an uptick in new cases of the coronavirus has brought the county to a 6% positivity rate.

The county also tracked 310 patients with COVID-related ailments in hospitals, an increase of 23 in just 24 hours.

Officials worry people gathering for the holidays will also cause cases to go up.

“If we continue at this pace, by Christmas we'd have over 1,000 people in the hospital with COVID-19,” says Bellone.

 Local hospitals are urging people to remain vigilant about masking, social distancing and hand-washing to keep infections and hospitalizations down.

If there is another surge of COVID-19 cases facilities at Stony Brook University and SUNY Old Westbury would open as field hospitals.  Officials say they would be able to accommodate more than 2,000 patients.