SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health President and CEO Dr. Mark Keroack and other officials donned protective masks Monday for the city’s weekly coronavirus update, which included Keroack offering an estimate that Western Massachusetts may not see its peak in cases until weeks after the surge predicted by state and federal officials.

National epidemiological models have suggested the peak could be in mid-April in some parts of the country, and Gov. Charlie Baker has said cases in the state are expected to surge between April 10 and 20. But Keroack said Monday that some models suggest Western Massachusetts may not see its peak until May or early June.

That delay — instead of “an explosion” in cases in the coming two weeks — would help hospital systems be more prepared.

“That’s really our goal," Keroack said. "Our goal is to do a nice slow burn here that doesn’t exhaust the capacity of our hospital systems. Not to have some big explosion like they had in Northern Italy and are currently having in New York, which causes a whole system to be overwhelmed.”

“Which direction we go depends very much on our community and their willingness to tolerate maybe for even longer than we expected some of these so-called social distancing guidelines,” Keroack said. “I think when this is all over, we are going to appreciate very ordinary things in a much higher level than we do now. Like all pandemics, we will be changed by it, but I think in some ways it will be change for the better in terms of our appreciation of things in life that really count.”

Keroack said that, so far, the number of coronavirus cases is not threatening to overwhelm resources at Baystate Medical Center. About 500 of the hospital’s 720 beds are occupied. Patients testing positive for COVID-19 —or believed to be ailing from the disease caused by the new coronavirus — account for 200 of the occupied beds.

The hospital also has the potential to expand its capacity through the use of non-traditional areas. “So as of today, we still have head room for another 300-plus patients,” Keroack said.

Baystate Health has tested slightly more than 2,000 people, and 437 have tested positive. Results are pending for 118, Keroack said.

Across the Baystate Health system, 43 COVID-19 patients are under critical care.

About a third of the patients treated for COVID-19 infection have been able to be discharged — “really good news,” Keroack said.

The hospital system is not seeing any spread among health care workers who are caring for COVID-19 patients, he said.

“It says to us our method is working, and we’re pleased about that,” Keroack said.

Testing is beginning this week at the Holyoke laboratory center, and drive-up testing sites will be announced possibly next week, Keroack said. Currently, the hospital is testing health care workers, first-responders and inpatients. Officials want to move next to congregate housing residents.

Dr. Robert Roose, chief medical officer of Mercy Medical Center, said the hospital and its affiliates under Trinity Health New England have tested a total of 1,209 people for the coronavirus, with 274 testing positive. There have been 747 negative results and the rest are pending, he said.

Keroack, Roose and a number of other officials — Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi — wore face masks at the press conference, in line with Centers for Disease Control recommendations that Mayor Domenic J. Sarno also called on residents to adopt last week. Keroack said his mask was homemade.

Sarno kept his face mask next to him at the podium, rather than wearing it.

Keroack and other officials stressed that people need to continue to observe social distancing, wash their hands frequently and cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing.

“That’s really the biggest bang for the buck in terms keeping this from spreading," Keroack said.

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