February 2, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
Even as the number of Hingham COVID-19 cases decreases, Town Administrator Tom Mayo announced to the Select Board Tuesday night that the town is planning to distribute more than 16,000 at-home rapid antigen test kits received from Plymouth County to Hingham residents.
The latest information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows that the Hingham case count is declining -- from 118 new COVID-19 cases during the 14-day period ending Jan. 22, compared to 174 cases over the prior 14-day period.
That said, Mayo noted that many residents are now using home-based testing, which is most often not reported and therefore not included in these statistics.
"We will use the drive-through [regional testing] site that has been set up at 335 Lincoln St.," Mayo said. "We have a good supply of tests so don't anticipate running out."
The kits will be distributed on Sunday, Feb. 13, and Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. on both days. Pre-registration is not required. The tests will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"Two kits, holding a total of four tests, will be distributed to drivers of vehicles with a driver’s license showing a Hingham address," Mayo explained. There is a limit of two kits per vehicle.
More information about this distribution will be made available in coming days. Check the town website, www.hingham-ma.gov, for further details. These test kits are beyond the free test kits that are available at www.COVIDtests.gov.
Mayo said at-home test kits will be available for teachers, and a number of them will be delivered to Interim Supt. of Schools Gary Maestas to distribute.
Hingham continues to conduct a regional COVID-19 drive-through testing site in partnership with Cohasset, Hull, and Scituate, at 335 Lincoln St., the same location from which the free test kits will be distributed.
The testing center is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PCR tests are available at no cost to the public. Online preregistration is required; no tests will be administered without an appointment. All participants will be notified of test results by email.
However, Mayo noted, activity at the test site is declining. On Thursday, Jan. 28 – the last date the site was open – the vendor completed 29 tests. This number is down from a high of 115 tests on Saturday, Jan. 15, according to Mayo.
"I'm disappointed with the test site performance and volume," he reported. "We are working with the vendor to improve performance at the site."
In related news, the town is actively working with the state to schedule a clinic for students who haven't been vaccinated or been administered a booster shot.