For the first time since May, New Jersey is seeing more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases throughout October.

As the COVID-19 numbers continue to spike, the question some are asking is if more people are letting their guard down - and have what some are calling 'COVID-tigue.'

"Some people won't even wear masks anymore, and I think that it's like really, really gone to the back of their minds about the pandemic, but the pandemic is very much still alive," says Sheila Epps-Willliams, of Newark.

Epps-Williams is a three-year cancer survivor, and says people have become resistant when she asks them to back away in public.spaces.  She said she is concerned she'll only see this more. 

"Everybody's getting tired of the masks, social distancing, washing their hands, etc., but unfortunately it's still the best prevention we have,"


 says Dr. Daniel Varga, with Hackensack Meridian Health.

Varga says thankfully, the hospital isn't seeing nearly as many cases as it did during the peak in April, patients aren't staying as long and that the hospital is better prepared for a potential surge.

Some think that overall immunity is the solution.


"You could wear masks and do all these things, but everyone's eventually gonna be exposed to it. We need some sort of herd immunity, says Kris, of Lodi.

Varga says the herd immunity piece is purely theoretical.

"Nobody's actually demonstrated that. But what we do know is that if everybody drops their guard, we will get a lot more cases," says Varga.

Generally, many people told News 12 that they've gotten more comfortable wearing masks and have made it a habit to put on hand sanitizer.