April 15, 2021 By Carol Britton Meyer
The number of new COVID-19 cases dropped from 47 last week to 31 this week, according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health data reported Thursday.
Nevertheless, Hingham continues to remain in the medium-risk COVID-19 "yellow" zone as it has for the past three months.
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported each week in Hingham has remained relatively stable over the past several weeks, with some fluctuation. Last week's statistics showed 47 new cases since the earlier report, with 47 the previous week and 39 the week before that.
There were 79 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 14 days, as compared with 90 last week and 82 the prior week.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Hingham since Jan. 1, 2020 is 1,863.
As of April 19, the general public ages 16 and older become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the last phase of the state vaccine rollout plan. Individuals who need assistance pre-registering or scheduling an appointment at a vaccination site may call (877) 211-6277.
In an effort to ensure a safe return to school following the April break, Hingham Public Schools is offering free COVID-19 pool testing Friday, April 23, at East School from 8 a.m. to noon, for any student or staff member -- not just for those who have traveled during school vacation.
If a result comes back positive, each person in the pool would be contacted and asked to return on Sunday for a free rapid COVID-19 test, with the results available within 15 minutes.
The mPathy COVID-19 testing site at 308 Cushing St. will be open Saturday, April 24, and Monday, April 26, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for anyone wanting to get tested and also on Sunday, April 25, exclusively for HPS students and staff during those same hours. There is a fee for the test. To schedule an appointment, visit https://www.mpathy.org/schedule.
mPathy's normal schedule is Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment or as a walk-in.
Reminders:
* The Hingham Health Department posts weekly COVID-19 data from the MDPH and the Hingham Public Schools in a dashboard that is updated every Friday at https://www.hingham-ma.gov/860/COVID-19-Updates. All cases are laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases.
* Visit https://www.hingham-ma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=940 for Updated COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Guidance.