Cases of Covid-19 on the Island continued to spike with 457 confirmed cases for the week ending Jan. 15, Island boards of health reported, as free test kit distribution continues this week.

Covid-19 test kits will be available for pick up on Jan. 19 and 20 for residents of Chilmark from the board of health office.

With Covid-19 now racing through the Vineyard community, boards of health issued a public health message Tuesday urging Islanders to take steps to protect themselves from infection.

A new distribution of rapid at-home test kits will take place on Wednesday and Thursday this week in all the Island towns.

A new distribution of rapid at-home test kits will take place on Wednesday and Thursday this week in all the Island towns.

Facing a rush of demand on the Island for at-home Covid-19 testing, Island Health Care has ordered 28,350 more rapid test kits as cases of the virus hit record numbers on Martha’s Vineyard.

As Covid-19 cases climb sharply, some 4,000 free rapid home test kits will be distributed on the Vineyard beginning Tuesday. Distribution will take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon in all six towns, according to a statement from Island Health Care late Monday afternoon.

Island Health Care, the Island boards of health boards and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital are slated to receive 4,050 home test kits courtesy of the federal government.

Vineyard boards of health reported 82 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the week ending Christmas Day, a decline from weeks prior. The count still ranks among the highest on Island in 2021.

With the Omicron variant creating an explosion of cases nationally, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital reported Wednesday that four people were hospitalized — the most since the pandemic began.

Islanders are queuing up in large numbers for Covid-19 tests and booster shots, as an early winter case surge swells on the Vineyard and public health officials keep close eye on the numbers.

New cases of Covid-19 shot up over 100 last week, surpassing August peak numbers and matching the infection rate of last April. The Island boards of health reported that 105 people had received positive PCR tests for the coronavirus during the week ending Dec. 11.

The recent surge in Covid-19 cases on the Island has included an increase in hospitalizations, even as appointments for booster vaccine shots have been hard to come by.

Covid-19 cases on the Vineyard spiked sharply upward last week, with Island boards of health reporting 76 confirmed cases over a seven-day period from Nov. 28 through Dec. 4. Another 19 cases were reported for Sunday and Monday.

A medically equipped bus offering free vaccines and booster shots will return to the Island next weekend, the Island boards of health announced.

With the impact of the new Omicron variant still unknown, cases of Covid-19 on the Island are back on the upswing, with 48 more people confirmed positive for the virus in just five days.

Covid-19 case counts on Martha’s Vineyard continued to see a slight upward trend last week, with 19 confirmed positive cases reported by the Island boards of health in their weekly report issued Monday.

Covid-19 case counts on Martha’s Vineyard continued to see a slight upward trend last week, with 19 confirmed positive cases reported by the Island boards of health in their weekly report issued Monday.

The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is now scheduling Covid-19 booster shots for all adults ages 18 and older, following last week’s Food and Drug Administration authorization, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The Covid-19 vaccine bus is returning to the Vineyard this weekend to help vaccinate students ages five and up, along with school staff.