LOS ANGELES-- Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Democrat, will begin a 10-day quarantine period after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesperson from his office told Fox News early Monday.

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The spokesman said that Newsom has since tested negative for the virus and "out of an abundance of caution" will begin the quarantine period.

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California has been hit hard by the virus in recent weeks. As of Saturday, there were 17,400 people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections. The Associated Press reported that a state model showed that that number could hit 75,000 by mid-January.

There were also 3,600 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in intensive care units throughout the state. There were 272 fatalities reported on Saturday bringing the total from last week to about 1,600.

The spokesperson from Newsom’s office said no other members of the staff were diagnosed with the virus and the health of his staff is a top priority.

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"We wish our staff member who tested positive well," the spokesperson said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report