Nebraska saw an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time in 18 weeks this past week, with more patients requiring to be hospitalized, ending up in the ICU or on ventilators.
On Facebook Live on Thursday, the state's chief medical officer, Dr. Gary Anthone, said this could be for two reasons: people not following directed health measures as strictly as he would like or variants of the virus taking hold in the state. Some variants, he said, are more contagious.
"This is why we want to contain those variances, and that's exactly why we are here today, to let people know that we are not out of the woods," he said. "We are very concerned about the increase in hospitalizations, and one of the reasons for that increase could be the variances."
Community health advisor for the Department of Health and Humans Services, Sara Morgan, said vaccine are an effective combatant to preventing severe illness, even with COVID-19 variants.
"In addition to protecting yourself from serious disease, hospitalizations or death, you also are helping to protect others in your immediate surroundings when you are fully vaccinated."
Morgan said she would encourage Nebraskans to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible.