On Monday the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 4,032 infections and zero Covid-related deaths.
It's a figure that everyone wants to hear. But unfortunately the numbers do not provide the complete picture of what's going on. That's because at the moment only a handful of German states report new cases over the weekend.
Instead, they submit the details later. For that reason, the figures are skewed.
German data journalist Olaf Gersemann tweeted the news, but added that back in 2020 "there were no widespread registration strikes in the federal states on weekends" unlike today.
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Gestern ist dem RKI kein einziger #Corona-Toter gemeldet worden.
— Olaf Gersemann (@OlafGersemann) May 2, 2022
Das gab es zuletzt am 7. September 2020 - wobei es damals, anders als heute, keine verbreiteten Meldestreiks der Bundesländer an Wochenenden gab.@welt pic.twitter.com/Pqgssrn7kP
What other trends can we see?
The nationwide 7-day incidence has continued to fall. On Monday there were 639.5 Covid infections per 100,000 people. Yesterday the incidence was 666.4, a week ago it was 790.8, and in the previous month the incidence was 1,531.5.
However, once again the incidence does not provide the whole picture of the development of infection because of various factors, including delays in reporting and the testing behaviour of the population.
In its weekly report published on Thursday April 28th, the RKI said that caution was needed when interpreting case numbers. They said that due to holidays, such as the recent Easter break and May 1st, there could be "associated lower test activity, as well as the subsequent reports".
However, the RKI did point out some encouraging trends.
"The peak of the current wave has clearly passed and many hospitalisation indicators also continue to decrease," said the RKI.
"The number of persons with a Covid-19 diagnosis treated in an intensive care unit has fallen slightly, as in previous weeks, and stood at 1,446 cases on 27.04.2022," said the RKI in its report.
But they added: "Nevertheless, the infection pressure remains high with more than 750,000 cases reported to the RKI within one week."
The RKI also said that the strain on the health care system is continuing "mainly due to the limited availability of medical staff".
Experts said that the Omicron sub variant BA.2 is the dominant strain in Germany, accounting for around 97 percent of Covid infections according to a recent sample.
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