The nationwide seven-day incidence of new corona infections has exceeded the threshold of 1,700 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants.

As the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Friday morning, the value is now 1706.3.

It was only on Wednesday that the incidence of 1607.1 exceeded the threshold of 1600 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days for the first time, on Thursday the value was 1651.4.

As the RKI further reported, citing data from the health authorities, the absolute number of new infections reported within 24 hours on Friday was 297,845.

294,931 new infections had been reported the day before, compared to 252,836 a week ago.

The total number of registered cases of infection in Germany since the beginning of the corona pandemic is now 18,287,986.

According to the RKI, 226 further deaths related to the corona virus were registered within 24 hours.

The total number of recorded corona deaths in Germany rose to 126,646.

Subtype BA.2 accounts for 62 percent

According to the current weekly report from the RKI, the BA.2 subtype of the omicron variant of the coronavirus is apparently contributing to the increasing number of new infections in Germany.

The proportion of this sub-variant rose to 62 percent in the week of February 28 to March 6

It can be assumed that the increase in new infections is "due to the easier transferability of the BA.2 subline", the RKI explained. But the withdrawal of contact-reducing measures and a change in the behavior of the population probably also contributed to the increase According to the RKI, however, there is no risk of diseases in the subvariant BA.2 as in the omicron subtype BA.1.

Voting in the Bundestag and Bundesrat

Against the background of the ever-increasing maximum values, the Bundestag and Bundesrat will vote on the new Infection Protection Act on Friday.

After the elimination of most of the corona containment measures at the weekend, it still provides for some basic protective measures and special rules for hotspots.

First, the Bundestag will debate and vote on the new regulation.

It is then the turn of the Federal Council, which will meet for a special session in the afternoon.

There are concerns within the traffic light coalition among the SPD and Greens about the strong dismantling of the containment measures - and even more clearly in the federal states.

However, if the government's proposal were not approved, all protective measures would end on Saturday.

The law now provides for the possibility that the previous measures can be extended until April 2nd - which the federal states also want to make use of.