The director of a regional health district says there is a potentially welcome trend in new COVID-19 cases; they are already leveling off in some places and could start generally declining in September. Doctor Noelle Bissell leads the state health department’s New River District, and she says this latest major wave may come and go more quickly than the winter surge because the Delta variant is working its way through the population so quickly. But COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths could still increase a while longer since they are trailing indicators. Bissell says vaccinations remain essential to limit the COVID’s most serious effects, whether you have already contracted the virus or not. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones: