BUFFALO, N.Y. — Doctors are reminding people to mask up and get vaccinated in the face of new COVID-19 variant omicron BA.5.

“I get it. We’ve been all worn out by this pandemic and we’re really done with it,” said Dr. Thomas Russo, professor and chief of the division of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo. “Unfortunately, the virus is not done with us yet, and we still need to be aware that we need to be careful out there and protect ourselves.”

He said omicron BA.5 is more transmissible and resistant to antibodies.

Erie County’s COVID positivity rate is up for the third week in a row. According to the Department of Health, there were 978 new cases for the week ending in July 9.

This surge is partly due to a waning of immunity from the Easter spike and more gatherings. He said this is not the last variant we will see and they will only continue to get stronger.

Russo recommends people get vaccinated, boosted and wear masks while indoors in crowded places. He said he expects the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to open up eligibility to the second booster shot to people 50 and under in early fall.