Monroe County Health Officials say the new Omicron BA.2 variant of coronavirus is now present in Monroe County....and numbers of new COVID infections are rising again.
The county is reporting 108 new lab-confirmed cases of covid, and 111 positive home test results for a total of 219.
This is the second day in a row new cases have topped 200, and the county health department says it expects the upward trend to continue.
County executive Adam Bello says this is not a cause for panic.
Most people who are vaccinated and boosted will not get seriously sick from the new strain, although it's more highly contagious than the earlier strains.
They're calling for anyone who's eligible but not yet immunized and boosted to get started on that process now, and for people who are at high risk for illness to consider going back to wearing masks.