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.

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.

Island health officials said 16 people tested positive for Covid-19 during the week ending Saturday, Nov. 13, ending three weeks of declining numbers.

New confirmed cases of Covid-19 dropped to their lowest level in four months last week, the Island boards of health reported Monday in a regular update.

Face coverings will remain mandatory indoors on Martha’s Vineyard until at least mid-January, after the six Island boards of health declined Friday to lift the mandate they imposed last August.