LINCOLN — Nebraska continued to rank among the nation’s hot spots for COVID-19 last week, with cases and hospitalizations both rising again.

Meanwhile, a new pandemic player — the omicron variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — appeared on the scene.

A resident of southeast Nebraska returned from Nigeria late last week and tested positive for the new variant, then seemingly spread it to the other five members of the person's household.

Despite the omicron variant now being reported in 17 states, the delta variant is responsible for more than 99% of cases in the United States.

Specifically, Nebraska reported 6,871 new cases of COVID-19 in the week prior which is 5,628 more than the previous week. Gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday likely caused the uptick in cases.

Nebraska now looks to be averaging a little more than 6,000 new cases a week, positioning the state as the nation's 13th highest per capita case rate. Nine of the 10 highest rates are in areas where the cold forces people to stay inside and in close quarters. New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Michigan have the highest rates.

Increased hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have followed the increased cases reported. An average of 533 people were hospitalized with COVID in Nebraska on any given day last week which is a 7% increase from the week prior.

Critical care doctors have joined state health officials in pleading with Nebraskans to get vaccinated, seek booster shots, and wear masks in public indoor spaces. Ensuring hospital beds are open and available for those in need has become a priority, especially with the nursing workforce shortage.

Since late October, those who are not fully vaccinated have been 10 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, according to state health officials.

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