In the corona pandemic, the steady decline in the number of cases could be stopped for the time being.

In the week up to May 29, the nationwide seven-day incidence fell by 37 percent compared to the previous week, writes the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in the Covid 19 weekly report on Thursday evening.

In the current week, however, the decline in incidence is stagnating.

Most of the report relates to last week.

The data on virus variants shows that the omicron subline BA.5 is playing an increasing role in Germany.

Among other things, it has already caused a significant increase in the number of cases in South Africa and Portugal.

In Germany, random surveys have been recording an approximate doubling of the proportion from week to week since around the end of April.

However, this is still happening at a very low level: According to the current RKI data, the BA.5 variant now accounts for 5.2 percent of all cases of infection.

As before, however, the majority of subline BA.2 is still found.

BA.4 evidence is also increasing somewhat, but in the range of less than one percent.

As the report further shows, the number of PCR tests for Sars-CoV-2 in Germany has fallen to less than 500,000 per week for the first time in months.

The Ascension Day holiday probably also plays a role.

The RKI also calls for compliance with recommendations for avoiding infection.

In particular, it appeals to risk groups and people over the age of 70 to protect themselves against a serious illness with a second booster vaccination.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach was confident that he would be able to convince the coalition partner FDP to extend the Infection Protection Act and the obligation to wear masks.

With a view to a possibly more critical corona situation in autumn, the SPD politician said on Thursday evening in the ZDF “heute journal” that Germany will “definitely be over September 23.

have an Infection Control Act throughout, which gives us the preparations we need."

The previous legal basis for the protective measures will expire on September 23.

With a view to the mask requirement and the FDP, Lauterbach added: "I think we'll agree there."

FDP wants to wait for expert reports

The FDP, which wants as few corona protection measures as possible, insists on waiting for several expert reports.

The Prime Ministers of the federal states and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) agreed on Thursday to take early precautions for a more critical corona situation in autumn.

Scholz then said that all options for action that were needed should be available - but there should no longer be comprehensive closures of schools and daycare centers.

The state health ministers had unanimously put together a possible catalog with mask requirements indoors and access rules such as 2 G and 3 G (access only for vaccinated, recovered or tested).

Green health expert Janosch Dahmen welcomed the joint intention of the federal and state governments.

In addition to a targeted vaccination campaign and test strategy, better data is particularly important, said the member of the Bundestag of the German Press Agency.

In the federal states, the focus must be on rapid digitization in the public health service and on up-to-date data - for example on the availability of hospital beds that can be operated and on the capacities of emergency rooms and rescue services.

The German District Association also called “mask requirements indoors and in public transport, possibly also contact restrictions”.

States and municipalities should not have their hands tied if it becomes necessary locally, said district council president Reinhard Sager at the editorial network Germany (RND).

The German Foundation for Patient Protection called for the free citizen tests in test centers to be extended beyond June.

At the moment, more than 100 people die from or with Corona every day, said board member Eugen Brysch to the RND.

The federal states had already asked the federal government at the Prime Ministers' Conference to continue funding the free citizen tests.

Virologist accuses Lauterbach of scaremongering

Dahmen said that as a doctor, he was particularly concerned about the current international spread of other respiratory diseases, including those caused by influenza viruses.

"Even without new, more dangerous corona virus variants, this could lead to another severe stress test in the health system in Germany in autumn." It is therefore right that all countries have committed to a science-based preventive course when preparing for autumn.

Virologist Klaus Stöhr, on the other hand, sees no danger and accuses Lauterbach of scaremongering.

"This includes this whole threat scenario, which the Ministry of Health is building up again," he told the Welt television station.

It is possible that the BA.5 virus variant, as in Portugal, will lead to a renewed increase in cases.

"In asymptomatic cases, but not in the intensive care units, not in the hospitals - there is complete relaxation." Stöhr, as the successor to the Berlin virologist Christian Drosten, is to move into the commission for the scientific assessment of the state corona restrictions at the Union's suggestion.