The feared increase in corona and flu infections in autumn and winter comes into focus this Wednesday in Berlin.

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) and the President of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, will appear before the public together in the morning.

The focus should be on vaccination.

In its latest weekly report, the RKI predicted an increase in the corona numbers.

The reasons given by the RKI are that there are still a large number of unvaccinated people and that indoor contacts increase in autumn.

On Wednesday, the nationwide seven-day incidence of new corona infections fell slightly to 62.3 for the time being.

Within one day, 11,547 new infections with the coronavirus and 76 more deaths were registered.

The day before, the seven-day incidence was 63.6, a week ago it was 61. The value indicates the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week.

A total of 93,959 people have died in Germany in connection with a corona infection since the pandemic began.

According to the RKI, the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic is 4,271,734.

Flu in addition to Corona

Doctors also fear a flu wave this winter.

There is currently an accumulation of respiratory infections among minors.

Doctors report that infections are now being caught up that did not occur because of the partial lockdown last winter and spring.

In September, the Stiko issued a recommendation according to which vaccinations against corona and flu can be given on one appointment.

It is advisable from October onwards.

During the peak of the corona pandemic, Spahn and the head of the institute, Wieler, sometimes appeared together on a weekly basis.

This time the chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, will be there.

SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach warned in the newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine against further relaxation of the mask requirement.

"We have to make sure that we do not get a large, combined wave of infections through a Freedom Day or a premature end to the mask requirement," he said.

“If corona, influenza and common colds occur en masse, it could overload hospitals and intensive care units.

This must be prevented."

County day calls for easing

The president of the district assembly, Reinhard Sager (CDU), on the other hand, called for the corona measures to be gradually relaxed.

"The federal and state governments should agree on an exit path that will lead us out of the pandemic-related restrictions," he told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Wednesday).

"That has to be discussed openly, otherwise dissatisfaction with political decisions on Corona will continue to grow."

He said: “We are optimistic that we will slowly but surely grow out of the pandemic.

Politicians should also send out this signal. ”To do this, it is necessary to further increase the vaccination rate.

"Should there be large vaccination gaps in certain professional groups such as educators, teachers and nurses, a vaccination requirement for these activities must be considered," he said.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health on Tuesday, 64.7 percent of people in Germany are fully vaccinated against Corona.

So far, more than 53.8 million people have received the necessary vaccine doses.

68.2 percent of all residents have now received at least one first vaccination.

Most vaccines used require two doses for complete protection.