Although respiratory diseases are very widespread, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has so far not been able to indicate the beginning of the feared corona winter wave.
In its Covid 19 report on Thursday evening, the RKI writes of an eight percent increase in the nationwide seven-day incidence in the past week compared to the previous week.
However, it cannot yet be conclusively confirmed whether this is a trend.
Recently, the values have been at a similar level for a long time.
The RKI looks at several factors in the report, since the incidence alone only partially reflects what is happening.
With regard to the number of hospital treatments for Covid-19, the authors speak of a stabilization in the number of cases in a weekly comparison;
however, the number of intensive care patients with evidence of corona increased by ten percent to almost 1,000.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is confident about the development of the pandemic in the coming months: "Hopefully next winter will be the last major battle with the corona virus," said the politician to the "Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin" on Friday.
The virus has "mutated into a dead end," said the minister. But Lauterbach remains true to his cautious line, he does not want to give the all-clear: "There is no reason for carelessness. It's too early for further easing."
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also sees Germany in a "much more relaxed situation than before". Scholz said this after the federal-state conference on Thursday evening in Berlin. The corona pandemic is still there. There are also other respiratory diseases There are currently major problems. Unlike in previous years, however, there is now a "very comprehensively vaccinated population" in Germany, said the Chancellor. Therefore, the country could start this winter "very well". Concrete decisions on pandemic policy were made by the federal government -Country top round not this time.