Town surpasses 4,000 covid cases

The total number of covid cases in Wareham since the pandemic’s start blew past 4,000 this week, with 359 new cases bringing the total to 4,248.

That’s a slight decline from last week’s high of 387, but is still 88 cases higher than the third-worst week so far (271 cases reported on Jan. 6).

For context, the first case of covid in Wareham was announced on March 27, 2020. 

The town didn’t surpass 1,000 cases until Jan. 21, 2021 — ten months later. 

Just under eight months later, the town passed the 2,000 case mark on Sept. 9, 2021.

The town passed 3,000 cases on Dec. 23 — just over three months later.

And now, the total has surpassed 4,000 cases in less than a month.

The number of cases in schools has decreased from last week, with 26 students and four staff testing positive. There are a further 30 students and two staff in quarantine. 

According to the state, there are 15,257 Wareham residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine —   63 percent of residents.

The percentage of fully vaccinated residents is smaller — 57 percent, or 13,679 people.

Southcoast Health offers the Pfizer vaccine each Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the clinic at 100 Rosebrook Way. For more information about Southcoast’s vaccination clinics, go to https://www.southcoast.org/covid-19-vaccination/.

Those eligible for the vaccine can find appointments at providers around the state using the state’s website vaxfinder.mass.gov. Those who would prefer to make an appointment online can call 211 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and navigate to the vaccine helpline 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.

Covid-19 tests are available by appointment at CVS, Walgreens and at Tobey Hospital. To make a test appointment through Southcoast, log in to your online MyChart portal. At-home tests are sold at Walgreens, CVS and Walmart, among other locations, but availability varies. The availability of at-home tests is often posted in town Facebook groups. 

For help finding a test, go to https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test.