In its latest COVID-19 report, Luxembourg's Ministry of Health confirmed that the number of COVID-19 cases was down 4% last week compared to the week before.
For the week of 16 to 22 November 2020, the number of residents testing positive for COVID-19 continued to decrease slightly but remained at a high level, with 3,851 cases compared to 4,013 the week before. However, the number of identified contacts increased significantly to 15,072 (up 69% over one week), an evolution attributed to the recent strengthening of the contact tracing team. The number of PCR tests carried out was 69,076, up from 67,734 the previous week.
As of Sunday 22 November 2020, the number of active infections stood at 8,834 (down from 9,339 on 15 November) and the number of people having recovered from the virus increased from 17,685 to 22,004. 37 new COVID-19-related deaths were recorded (compared to 39 the week before), with the average age of those who died dropping from 85 to 83.
Last week also saw a slight increase in hospitalisations, with 186 COVID-19 patients admitted to normal care (up from 170) and 45 to intensive care (up from 42).
The effective reproduction rate (RT eff) rose from 0.97 to 1.00 and the positivity rate on the tests carried out was 5.53% compared to 5.92% (weekly average) the previous week. The incidence rate was 615 (down from 641) cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days and 1,256 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over fourteen days. The rate increased among 0-14 and 75+ year-olds, whilst the downward trend continued in all other age groups, and consequently in the general population. The 75+ age group was the most affected, followed by the 15-29 age group. Among 60-74 year olds, the incidence rate has been declining for three consecutive weeks and it is now the age group with the lowest rate. The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 has fallen further from 40.6 to 39.8 years.
Last week, 8,057 people were in isolation (down 8% from the previous week) and 9,820 were in quarantine (down 10%).
The source of infection was not clearly attributable in 40% of cases. According to an analysis carried out over two full days (16 and 17 November) and covering 1,323 cases, the family circle remained the most frequent source (34.2%) of COVID-19 infections.
The latest CORONASTEP report drawn up by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) showed that, for the week of 16 to 22 November, the level of SARS-CoV-2 contamination was very comparable to those observed during the previous three weeks. The level remained high in the thirteen wastewater treatment plants analysed, which indicates a very high prevalence of the virus in wastewater. For the second time, data seemed to indicate a slight downtrend, although this remains very weak and will need to be confirmed in the coming days or weeks.
