Covid cases decline after three weeks of record infections

After three-straight weeks of record highs, new covid cases began to decline in the Tri-Town in the week leading up to Jan. 20, according to state covid data.

Among the towns, Marion had 91 new cases, Mattapoisett had 46 and Rochester had 84. In total, the Tri-Town had 221 new cases, 81 fewer than last week’s total of 302 cases.

Over the last four weeks, the Tri-Town has averaged over 235 new cases per week, the highest average of the pandemic.

The surge comes despite very high vaccination rates in the Tri-Town.

In the week leading up to Jan. 13, 59 Tri-Town residents got their first dose of a covid vaccine and 40 got fully vaccinated. There are now 13,016 fully vaccinated Tri-Town residents and 14,719 with at least one dose.

In Tri-Town Schools, cases held steady from the previous week's count of 94 cases, this time reporting 92 in the week leading up to Jan. 21.

Among the schools, Center School had three cases, Old Hammondtown had four, Rochester Memorial had 27, Sippican School had 22, ORR Junior High had 17 and ORR High School had 19.

State covid data is usually released every Thursday evening and ORR covid data is released every Friday evening.

Local public health experts continue to encourage people to get the vaccine as soon as possible — and the state is now offering in-home vaccinations for those unable to get to a vaccination site.

People aged 5 or older who live, work or study in Massachusetts are eligible to be vaccinated against covid-19. Those over the age of 18 can sign up to receive any vaccine, but those ages 5 to 17 can only get the Pfizer vaccine.

Those eligible for the vaccine can find appointments at providers around the state using the state’s website vaxfinder.mass.gov.

In-home vaccinations can be scheduled by calling 833-983-0485, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. English and Spanish speaking staff are on hand, and have access to translators for over 100 languages. In-home vaccinations are performed by medical professionals following public health guidelines and tailored to the needs of the patient.

In-home vaccinations are performed using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, except for those ages 12 to 17, who would be offered the Pfizer vaccine. Scheduling is based on location, rather than on a first-come, first-served basis.

The state has also set up a call center for those who are unable to access the vaccine appointment website or who have trouble navigating the complex online system.

From 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, people can call 211 and navigate to the vaccine help line by pressing one when prompted. The call center has workers on staff who speak English and Spanish, and there are translators available to support residents in about 100 additional languages.