New covid cases remained high in the Tri-Town in the week leading up to Dec. 2 but declined from last week’s peak, according to state covid numbers.

Among the towns, Marion had four new cases, Mattapoisett had 24 and Rochester had 27. In total, the Tri-Town had 55 new cases of covid in the week leading up to Dec. 2, after tallying 63 the previous week.

Over the last four weeks, the Tri-Town has averaged almost 50 new cases per week.

Meanwhile, vaccination rates in the Tri-Town remain very high. However, they may not be as high as previously reported.

A discrepancy was discovered this week by Sippican Week after state vaccination data reported Marion’s single-dose vaccination rate as being 101%.

The error seems to have stemmed from outdated population data that was provided by the state in the weekly municipal vaccination report.

The state reports vaccination rates for individual municipalities as a total number of residents who have received either one or two doses of a covid vaccine. The data also includes a total population for each town based on census estimates for 2019. The rate is calculated by dividing the vaccinated population by the total population.

The problem is that the total population estimates given by the state do not match the more accurate 2020 census numbers for the Tri-Town that were released in August.

To make things worse, the difference between the state estimate and the new census data is much larger in Marion and Mattapoisett than in Rochester, making the two coastal towns appear to have much higher vaccination rates than they really do.

Last week, Sippican Week reported that 99% of Marion residents had received at least one dose of a covid vaccine and 84% were fully vaccinated. However, using 2020 census data instead shows that the real single-dose rate for this week is actually only 87% while the fully-vaccinated rate is 73%.

In Mattapoisett, the difference was nearly the same. Last week the rates were reported to be 95% with one shot and 83% with two. But the adjusted rates for this week show 85% with one dose and 73% with two.

In Rochester though, the state’s population estimate was much more accurate, leading its true vaccination rates to be roughly the same as reported. Last week it was reported as 72% single-dose, 64% fully-vaccinated. This week, with the adjusted population, it comes out to 73% with one dose and 64% with two.

The adjusted rates show Rochester still lagging slightly behind the other two towns, but by a much smaller margin.

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.