Statistics concerning COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Luxembourg have allowed a comparison of the impact of influenza and coronavirus on public health, as well as alluding to the preparedness of hospitals to deal with the outbreak by providing an overview of capacities before and during the crisis.
Common flu vs COVID-19
At the time of writing, the number of fatalities resulting from coronavirus in Luxembourg stands at 52. Taking into account the number of people having tested positive for COVID-19 to date (3,115), the virus appears to have a mortality rate of almost 1.7% (1.669%).
In comparison, statistics taken from the Ministry of Health and various research institutions reveal that 2009-2017 saw an average of 84 flu-related fatalities per year in Luxembourg. According to these figures, coronavirus-related deaths have already reached 61.9% of annual standard flu-related deaths.
To offer a broader comparison, the British government recently announced that their average annual flu deaths are approximately 8,000 and it hopes to keep COVID-19 deaths to under 20,000 (i.e. 250% of annual flu deaths); to date, the UK has reported 7,978 fatalities resulting from coronavirus, thus representing 99.7% of annual flu deaths.
Hospital capacities before and after Coronavirus
Luxembourg's Ministry of Health recently confirmed that there are normally around 2,354 "normal" beds (with a reserve of 230) and 119 intensive care beds (with a reserve of 80) available for patients in the country's hospitals. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, hospitals in Luxembourg have increased their capacities.
For instance, the government recently purchased 143 ventilators and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) brought over a hospital tent from Italy to equip the Centre Hospitalier du Luxembourg (CHL) with 100 additional beds. The CHL normally boasts 579 beds across its four sites (CHL Centre, CHL KannerKlinik, CHL Maternité and CHL Eich).
Similarly, the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (CHEM) recently transformed its cafeteria into a fully equipped intensive care station, equipped with 28 beds. In "normal" times, the CHEM has around 612 beds spread across its three sites (Esch, Dudelange and Niederkorn). During a telephone interview with Dr Serge Meyer of CHEM, Chronicle.lu learned that one of its old hospital buildings is now reserved exclusively for COVID-19 patients. The building is equipped with 110 normal beds (under oxygen) and a maximum of 54 beds with ventilators. To ensure the continued care of non-COVID-19 patients, CHEM has designated three intensive care units for COVID-19 patients and one reserved for other patients; the two types of patients are kept separate at all times to prevent the spread of coronavirus. There are currently 25 doctors in the normal wards.
Currently, the CHEM is treating five patients who were recently transferred from the Grand Est region in France to Luxembourg. According to Dr Meyer, two of those patients are no longer in intensive care and may soon be ready for their return to France; the other three appear to be doing relatively well, too. As of 06:00 on Thursday 9 April 2020, the CHEM had 62 in-house COVID-19 patients, of which twelve were in intensive care (ten on ventilation plus two under supervision). Last week was relatively calm with an intake of eight to ten patients and 50 to 60 patients being discharged.
For its part, Hôpitaux Robert Schuman confirmed that its new scanner will be operational at the end of this week.
Despite not offering overnight stays for patients, the recently opened walk-in advanced care centres in Esch-Belval, LuxExpo, Ettelbruck and Grevenmacher have also served to increase hospital capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These statistics have been taken from multiple sources, namely the Ministry of Health, Statec and Science.lu (includes LIST, LIH, FNR, etc.) as well as the CHL, the CHEM and Hôpitaux Robert Schuman.
