The number of new covid-19 cases in town held steady this week. Wareham saw 36 new covid-19 cases in the past week, according to the state’s Nov. 11 data. That’s three more cases in town than last week. 

Cases of covid-19 in Wareham schools are on the rise, however. 

As of Nov. 10, Wareham Public Schools reported that two Decas Elementary students, five Minot Forest Elementary students, one Wareham Middle School student and four High School students had tested positive for covid-19. 

Just last week, on Nov. 3, the district reported only three positive cases of covid-19 among students — compared to this week’s 12 total student cases. 

As of Nov. 10, a number of students were also quarantined. A total of 27 Decas students were quarantined, as were 20 at Minot Forest, 11 at the Middle School, and three at the High School. 

Two school staff members tested positive this week — one from Minot Elementary and one from Wareham High School. There are no staff members in quarantine.

The Centers for Disease Control announced last week that children between the ages of 5 and 11 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine — the first covid-19 vaccine approved for that age group.

Parents and caregivers of young children can make an appointment with their pediatrician for their child to get vaccinated, or use the state’s vaxfinder.mass.gov tool to find other locations offering vaccines for children. 

The nearest state vaccination site is located at 1 Feinberg Way in Brockton.

Wareham’s average daily incidence rate increased from 14.8 to 21.6 cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days. Given Wareham’s population, 21.6 cases per 100,000 people means there were about 4.9 new cases each day over the past two weeks.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 2,417 covid-19 cases in Wareham.

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 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. 

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 those ages 12 and up, either 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. 

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.