BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts officials are pressing forward on efforts to help nursing homes and assisted living locations prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which can be especially deadly for older people, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday.

Of about 1,000 senior living locations in Massachusetts, he said, 140 have had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19. The state continues to conduct testing at sites across the state to curb the spread of the disease, the governor said.

The state is also ramping up its support for Chelsea which he said has been hit hard by the coronavirus, Baker said.

Massachusetts has increased testing fourfold in the Chelsea area and is helping provide meals to the community while also creating isolation areas at a hotel for those who test positive and can’t stay with their families.

Baker said it is too early to talk about easing the state of emergency as Massachusetts experiences a surge in cases. Much more testing needs to be done to help officials better understand the scope of infection and aid in the state’s contact tracing program, he said.

“All the data continues to indicate that the days and weeks ahead are going to be difficult,” Baker said.

___

NUMBERS

The number of people in Massachusetts who have died from COVID-19 rose to 844 on Monday, an increase of 88 deaths.

The number of residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes the disease rose to more than 26,800, according to the Department of Public Health.

More than 2,300 have been hospitalized since the outbreak’s start. More than 122,000 have been tested.

___

HOSPITAL CAPACITY

State officials are monitoring bed capacity at hospitals as the number of virus cases grows, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said Monday.

About half of all hospital beds are occupied — meaning about half are available, Sudders said.

As of Sunday night, there were about 36 patients being treated at a temporary medical center set up for COVID-19 patients at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Sudders said. A second field hospital set up at the DCU Center in Worcester was treating 10 patients.

Sudders cautioned that the expected surge in those who test positive for COVID-19 could put additional pressure on hospitals.

___

SOLDIERS HOME DEATHS

The number of veteran resident deaths at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke has climbed to 40, with 33 testing positive for COVID-19. Seven tested negative.

State health officials said another 88 residents have also tested positive for the disease, as have 78 employees.

The home is now the subject of several investigations, including one by the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts, which is trying to determine whether residents were denied adequate medical care.

The number of veteran resident deaths at a second facility -- the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home — increased to 11 on Monday with eight testing positive for COVID-19 and three testing negative. Another 41 staff members also tested positive.

___

REWARD FROM CELEBS

Actor John Krasinski and retired Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz have given a major boost to some tireless Boston health care workers on the front lines in the fight against the new coronavirus.

The pair announced during Krasinski’s “Some Good News” YouTube show Sunday that workers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston would be getting free Red Sox tickets.

“I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart how much I love and respect you for what you’re doing,” Ortiz said via video, before announcing that the team would donate four tickets to Beth Israel and its employees “for life.”

The donation was in response to a tweet from the hospital this month showing a Beth Israel employee in scrubs and a mask holding a sign expressing love for the Red Sox.

Also on the show, some hospital employees were taken to Fenway Park in “the most sanitized Duck Boat in America” and thanked via video by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Gov. Charlie Baker and first lady Lauren Baker, and members of the team.

The hospital workers then threw out a ceremonial first pitch for the yet-to-start 2020 season.

“You are so our heroes, and the most wonderful, lovable people,” said Krasinski, who starred in “The Office” and who grew up in the Boston suburb of Newton.

Krasinski also announced that AT&T has agreed to pay for three months of free wireless service for nurses and physicians battling COVID-19 nationwide on the FirstNet network built exclusively for first responders.