Bryan Health in Lincoln Sees Spike in Hospitalized COVID Cases

Officials at Bryan Health in Lincoln say hospitalized cases of COVID-19 have more than doubled since the start of July and they’re concerned about a new spike.

Hospitalized cases of COVID-19 earlier this month were in the higher single digits at Bryan Health. As of Tuesday, there are 20 cases, with four of the patients on ventilators. Although the uptick is nowhere near the numbers even earlier this year, Bryan’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Trapp said it’s something to keep an eye on.

“We’ve seen a sense of relaxation as though we’re through this,” Trapp said. “We’ve seen a plateau in the vaccination rate. I think those are very concerning to see that plateau in the vaccination rate as we see numbers going up and as people feel more comfortable not wearing masks, going to more family events, crowds starting to go into different types of venues, I think that’s a big concern.”

Although the state of Nebraska has ended its COVID dashboard, Bryan Health has resumed daily updates and health departments across the state still offer frequent updates on case numbers. Trapp said the feeling that things are back to normal could lead to a resurgence of COVID in Nebraska.

“This pandemic is not over and we’re going to continue to see increased numbers of cases as long as there are pockets and populations that are not vaccinated,” Trapp said.

A good number of the hospitalized patients with COVID at Bryan are under 50 years old and unvaccinated.