Governor Newsom estimates more than 50% of Californians will be infected with coronavirus

(KION) Governor Gavin Newsom has sent a letter to President Trump requesting that he deploys the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to the port of Los Angeles, and in that letter, he estimated that 56% of the population will be infected with coronavirus over the next eight weeks.

Newsom said that in the last 24 hours, California has had 126 new coronavirus cases, a 21% increase, and he said the case rate is doubling every four days in some areas.

He projects that the state can expects 25.5 million people, 56% of the population, to be infected with the disease.

He said he also believes that Los Angeles will be disproportionately affected by coronavirus.

Newsom said having the ship in the area until Sept. 1 would help the Los Angeles area healthcare system as it continues to handle its regular caseload along with a rise in coronavirus cases.

Read the full letter here: