The number of new lawsuits caused by COVID-19 dipped in August, according to data released Tuesday, but may represent the end of a "first wave" of cases.

The data, which comes from the COVID-19 Impact Analyzer from Lex Machina, part of Lexis Nexis, found that lawyers had filed 3,362 cases caused by COVID-19 in federal courts through Aug. 31. Filings increased in March and April, peaking in May at 802 filings, but dropped to 734 in June and 743 in July, then fell again in August to 660.

Rachel Bailey, data relations manager at Menlo Park, California-based Lex Machina, cautioned that the drop in August might not indicate an end to COVID-19 lawsuits and could be due to historic decreases in case filings tied to vacations and school starting.