Wareham saw 56 new cases of covid-19 over the past week, according to the state’s Aug. 26 covid-19 case data. 

Last week the town saw 43 new cases — meaning the town’s number of new cases is up by 13 this week. This is the highest new case weekly case count since April, when the town was classified as “red” in the state’s covid-19 risk reporting system. 

New case counts have been steadily increasing for the last month.

Wareham’s average daily incidence rate jumped from 20.4 to 29.2 cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days. Given Wareham’s population, 29.2 cases per 100,000 people means there were about 6.7 new cases each day over the past two weeks.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1,950 coronavirus cases in Wareham.

Vaccination rate

The town’s vaccination rate lags behind other Massachusetts communities. According to the state’s Aug. 26 data, only 54 percent of Wareham residents have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine. That amounts to 13,171 people — up 83 people from last week. 

This week, Wareham reported that 50 percent of its residents — 12,107 people — are fully vaccinated. That’s 133 more than last week.

Of the 27 municipalities in Plymouth County reporting vaccination data to the state, Wareham continues to report the second-lowest percentage of individuals with at least one dose. Only Middleborough had a lower percentage of individuals with at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine, at 53 percent.

Every other municipality in Plymouth County reported that at least 62 percent or more of its population had received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

Opportunities to get vaccinated

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 12 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 12 to 17 can only get the Pfizer vaccine. 

In Wareham, the CVS on Main Street (419 Main St.), the CVS on Cranberry Highway (2421 Cranberry Hwy Ste 110), the Walgreens on Marion Road (121 Marion Rd.) and the CVS in East Wareham (2992 Cranberry Hwy) offer covid vaccines for walk-in visitors or by appointment. 

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. 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.