MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The COVID-19 omicron variant has yet to peak in Wisconsin, even as there are encouraging signs it is waning in parts of the northeastern United States where it was first detected, the state’s chief medical officer said Thursday.

Hopefully, the state is at or near the peak even though the data does not yet show it, said Dr. Ryan Westergaard during a conference call.

The state’s seven-day average number of new cases hit another new high, at 18,836, while hospitalizations statewide were down by 115 over the past seven days.

Westergaard said he didn’t know yet if the decline would happen quickly or be more prolonged.

“Our hope is that we can turn the corner and see fewer and fewer cases as the weeks go on,” he said. “The important message is that we can get that decline to happen quicker if we implement all the prevention strategies and wear masks and do the things that we’re talking about to try and stop transmission as much as we can.”