LINCOLN- After dipping last week, Nebraska Covid cases are on the rise as the numbers continue to fluctuate from week to week. The state recorded 3,892 cases for the week ending Dec. 21, up 42% from the 2,739 reported the previous week, according to data from the federal CDC.

Case counts are widely considered to be underreported, with many people either not testing or using at-home tests that aren’t reported to health departments. Experts are awaiting the numbers from holiday gatherings and travel that will likely add to those case counts. Dr. James Lawler, a co-executive director with the UNMC Global Center for Health Security, noted last week that test positivity rates nationwide had increased 60% and hospitalizations 55% since mid-October.

In Nebraska, an average of 261 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 last week, up from 255 the week before. That’s the highest level since March, when the state was coming down from last winter’s omicron peak. Cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, still were high but continued to slowly trend downward last week after hitting a peak in early November.

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