SAN DIEGO — San Diego health officials want the public to keep COVID precautions in mind as graduations and the busy summer travel season are quickly approaching. San Diego County is seeing the number of COVID cases creeping upward.
“I know people are really tired of COVID. There’s a whole bunch of pandemic fatigue that’s set in and that’s real, but that also doesn’t mean that it goes away," said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, San Diego County Deputy Public Health Officer.
Dr. Kaiser said an upward trend in COVID cases is being seen both locally and nationally.
“What we’re trying to figure out is whether this is another surge of omicron or something else," he said." I know we certainly have plenty of omicron still circulating.”
The county says positive tests are up 1.5% from this same time last month. With large gatherings like prom, graduation and summer travel, officials want people to stay vigilant and not let their guard down. They're urging everyone to stay up to date on vaccines and boosters to avoid getting sick.
"Just be careful and that’s the best takeaway message that people can have," Dr. Kaiser said.
This weekend the White House issued a new warning that the U.S. could see 100 million COVID cases this fall and winter.
With the projected uptick, experts say it could just be a matter of time before another variant arises.
“The more people get the virus and the higher your viral count, the more chance of a new variant coming. Luckily, it's not changing to get more deadly. But by luck of the draw, there could be a change that can make it more aggressive or to evade the vaccines. And then we're in trouble," said CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus.
The Biden Administration is stressing the need for more COVID funding to prepare for a potential wave.
“This is a new era of living with rather than hiding from the virus," he said.
Officials say despite COVID cases rising hospitalizations and death still remain low in San Diego County.
WATCH RELATED: Uptick in COVID-19 cases across San Diego County: