Eight new coronavirus cases were reported in New Jersey on Wednesday, bringing the state’s total up to 23, state officials said.

Twenty of the people infected by the potentially deadly virus had been hospitalized. Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters at a briefing that the outbreak is only expected to get worse in the Garden State, according to the Star-Ledger/NJ.com.

“My guess is it gets worse before it gets better,” Murphy said. “And that’s not just a statement about New Jersey. That’s a statement about America and the world. We have been preparing for that and we just have to continue to do what we can to stay out ahead of that.”

The eight new cases appeared in Bergen, Middlesex and Monmouth counties, according to NBC Philadelphia. Two of the cases were “community spread,” meaning the infected people didn’t know how they got it.

He said St. Patrick’s Day parades across the state have not been canceled but warned revelers to limit their post-parade partying in crowded areas to avoid spreading the illness.

The announcement came a day after the state’s first reported coronavirus death.

At least 1,000 cases of the virus, known as COVID-19, have been reported in the US, and a total of 31 people have died from it, according to health officials.

There have been 173 reported cases in New York state.