OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Hospitals in Nebraska are stretched thin due to the current surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, combined with the large number of health care workers who are out sick.

“We’re overwhelmed,” said Nebraska Medicine infectious disease specialist Dr. Angela Hewlett, who oversees the Omaha hospital’s biocontainment unit. “This is really leading to a situation where we’re unable to provide the care that we want to because a lot of us are sick. And those of us that are not sick are incredibly burnt out and it’s just very devastating to see on a daily basis.”

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide grew to 649 on Tuesday, topping last month’s peak of 637 but remaining below the record of 987 set in November 2020.

The state estimated that 23% of the hospital beds across Nebraska remained available Wednesday but only 11% of the beds in Omaha hospitals were free. Hospital officials have said they are close to their limits because they are also treating many non-COVID patients, and the number of virus hospitalizations may double over the next couple of weeks.

Hospitals are also having trouble discharging patients to rehab facilities and nursing homes because so many of the staff at those facilities are out sick, said Dr. Gary Anthone, the chief medical officer at the state Department of Health and Human Services. That puts more pressure on hospitals because some patients who might be well enough to leave are unable to.

If the number of virus hospitalizations remains above 15% of all hospitalizations, Anthone said the state will likely impose more restrictions on surgical procedures to free up hospital capacity.

The state set a record last week when it reported 17,382 virus cases to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was up from 10,682 the week before that and 4,956 the previous week. The state on Monday reported its highest one-day total during the pandemic with 7,557 new cases.

And the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska has risen over the past two weeks from 829.14 new cases per day on Dec. 27 to 3,002.57 new cases per day on Monday. More than 26% of the COVID-19 tests taken in the state last week were positive.

State health officials said the omicron variant of the virus accounted for 73% of the virus cases that were genetically sequenced over the past two weeks, and that number tends to lag behind current conditions so omicron is likely even more dominant by now.

The omicron variant spreads much more easily than other coronavirus strains. It also more easily infects those who have been vaccinated or had previously been infected by prior versions of the virus. However, early studies show omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than the previous delta variant, and vaccination and a booster still offer strong protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death.

That’s why Nebraska health officials reiterated their call Wednesday for everyone to get vaccinated and wear masks to help limit the spread of the virus. Acting state epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Donahue said he estimates that vaccinations prevented 3,200 hospitalizations and roughly 700 deaths in Nebraska last month alone.

Hewlett applauded the decision by Douglas County health officials to impose a mask mandate in Omaha starting on Wednesday.

“This was incredibly welcome news when we heard about the mask mandate,” she said. “Honestly, it was almost like we were cheering in the hallway.”

But the future of Omaha’s mask mandate remains uncertain because state officials have threatened to file a lawsuit to block it. State Attorney General Doug Peterson said he doesn’t believe Douglas County officials have the authority to impose the mandate without getting state approval, but his office didn’t file a lawsuit Wednesday on the first day the mask rule took effect.

Omaha officials have said they believe the Douglas County health director does have the power to order the mask mandate under the city code.