As Marion and Mattapoisett have surpassed major vaccination thresholds, Rochester still lags far behind its local counterparts.

Last week, Marion became the first of the three towns to reach a single-dose vaccination rate of 90%, while Mattapoisett lags behind slightly with 88%.

“We’re actually very pleased with it,” Marion Board of Health Chair Ed Hoffer said. He added that the single-dose rate for 55-and-up residents in Marion is around 95%. So, if there’s a group for the town to focus on for vaccine uptake, it’s younger residents, who Hoffer noted also have a high vaccination rate.

“I’m not sure there’s going to be any specific targeting,” Hoffer said. “It’s hard to argue with success.”

Marion has also, alongside Mattapoisett, seen more than 80% of its residents fully vaccinated. In both towns, that rate has reached 81%, nearly 20% above the Plymouth County average.

“It says a lot about the citizens of our town as well as the public servants,” Hoffer said.

In Rochester, however, vaccination rates have largely stagnated near the county average. About 67% of Rochester residents have had at least one dose of a covid vaccine, with 62% fully vaccinated.

Still, Rochester’s vaccination rate hovers just below the average uptake of Plymouth County. As of Oct. 19, the county had an average of 69% of residents with at least one dose and 62% fully vaccinated.

In the Old Rochester Regional School District, vaccination rates are creeping up. But a recent DESE decision extended mask mandates in schools to Jan. 15, regardless of vaccination rates. OR Junior High School reported a full-vaccination rate of 58.2% on Oct. 22, while OR High School is at 75.9%. Previously, a vaccination rate of 80% would have allowed vaccinated students to shed their masks in the classroom.