HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — More than 1,000 people in Connecticut have died from the coronavirus, Gov. Ned Lamont said Friday as hospitals in southern and western parts of the state contend with a surge in the number of infected patients.

State officials reported 65 new deaths associated with the virus, bringing the total number to 1,036.

“It’s a milestone tragic day,” Lamont said, asking for a moment to say a prayer for the families.

The state’s first coronavirus death was reported on March 18, a man in his 80s who had been living in an assisted living facility in Ridgefield.

The area hit hardest has been Fairfield County, a part of the New York City metro that has become the epicenter of the country’s worst outbreak. As of Friday, Fairfield County had 7,146 confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of 16,809 across the state.

Hospitals in the area are under strain. Bridgeport Hospital this week began moving COVID-19 patients into a 32-bed mobile field hospital that was nearing capacity, and soldiers with the Connecticut National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve have begun caring for COVID-19 patients at Stamford Hospital.