COVID-19 numbers see uptick, health professionals say fall activities and lower vaccination rates are factors

The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has been on the rise,

As of Aug. 30, about 13.5% of COVID-19 tests have come back positive statewide. That was down slightly from 16% the previous week, which was the highest the percentage had been all year.

COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise, with 328 recorded in Nebraska the week ending Aug. 30, a 25% increase from the previous week.

“I think it could be due to a number of reasons,” said Lindsay Huse, director of the Douglas County Health Department. “And of course, as we return to our fall activities, which tend to be more indoor, you know, you're going to have people who are in situations where they're in a room with multiple people for an extended period of time, there's just more opportunity for transmission.”

The current strain of COVID-19 is called Stratus and is part of the Omicron family. It is also being called “razor blade throat,” due to the severe sore throat experienced by many who test positive for the strain.

Huse said that as each year passes, patterns in when COVID numbers are highest are starting to emerge.

“I think that the further on we get in time, the more cycles that we go through with it," Huse said. "We're going to probably have a lot better ability to kind of predict when the seasonal trends, if there are seasonal trends, are hitting.”

According to Huse, about 10% of people are up to date with their COVID boosters, while 16% of people have had at least one dose within the last few years.

Farther west, the West Central District Health Department is reporting more COVID-19 cases on a per-capita basis than almost anywhere else in the state. Meghan Trevino, executive director for the six-county department based in North Platte, said a lack of vaccination is a reason for the increase in cases.

“So really, vaccine uptake for flu and COVID boosters, it's been lower than it has been in the past couple of years,” Trevino said. “And with that, we know that vaccines are really one of the greatest ways to be able to stay protected against any type of respiratory illness. So that goes along with COVID-19, RSV and flu, and so when those vaccine numbers are lower, then our opportunity for spread increases with that.”

Nationally, there are changes coming to who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The changes are specifically to who the Center of Disease Control, and their committee called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, deems eligible for the vaccine.

“Typically, the way things work is, whatever CDC and ACIP sign off on, typically, is what insurance companies will pay for,” Huse said. “So, you know, if you are a 25-year-old, perfectly healthy, no risk factors, individual who wants to get a covid shot, and that is not under the recommendation that is put out by CDC and ACIP, it's possible insurance may not give that.”

Both Huse and Trevino said the upcoming changes have created challenges for their health departments because they are unsure who will be eligible, as well as where the vaccines will be available.

They also said that the vaccine is a good way to both decrease the likelihood of community spread of the virus, and to protect those who are immunocompromised from severe illness and hospitalization.