Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel announced at a press conference on Wednesday evening that an online waiting list has been set up for individuals aged 30-54 who wish to get vaccinated with the Vaxzevria (formerly AstraZeneca) COVID-19 vaccine.
The Prime Minister opened Wednesday's press conference by welcoming back Minister of Health Paulette Lenert, who was also present, following her three-week absence due to health reasons. He noted that the COVID-19 situation had remained stable over the past weeks, despite a slight increase in the levels of SARS-CoV-2 detected in wastewater.
Regarding the vaccine rollout campaign, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel announced the new procedure for registering for leftover vaccine doses. To date, only five out of almost 95,000 doses have been left unused. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister stressed that any leftover dose is one too many. If vaccine deliveries go ahead as planned over the next month, there should be enough doses to vaccinate another 100,000 people.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the number of people refusing the vaccine is very low (just over 2%), adding that 81.3% of available doses have been used to date, with the rest being kept for individuals getting their second jab. He also confirmed that invitiations have now been sent out to 26,000 people who are eligible to get vaccinated as part of phase 5 of the vaccination campaign; a further 13,000 invitations will be sent out before the end of this phase. Phase 5 could conclude as early as next week depending on people receiving the invitations and booking their appointments.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel also confirmed that plans were underway for alternative celebrations for this year's National Day, which will take place once again under restrictions due to the health crisis. There are also plans to host a commemorative ceremony for those who have died of COVID-19, but only once the pandemic is over.
Regarding the new platform for people wishing to voluntarily get vaccinated with the Vaxzevria jab, individuals aged between 30 and 54 can now sign up to a waiting list on Guichet.lu via the new website impfen.lu or via www.covid19.lu: guichet.public.lu/fr/citoyens/sante-social/coronavirus/vaccination/liste-attente-astra-zeneca.html. Those registered on this list will receive an invitation according to the date of registration and according to the availability of the Vaxzevria vaccine. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel noted that the system will operate on a first come, first served basis. This possibility is offered in order to prevent doses of the vaccine remaining unused and above all to allow a younger population to be vaccinated at a later date.
For her part, Health Minister Paulette Lenert noted that fewer older people have been hospitalised with the virus, but an increasing number of younger people are contracting the virus. The average age of infected individuals has fallen to 36.
Concerning vaccination, the Health Minister explained that the majority of people have not reported any side effects after getting the jab. Among the 1% of vaccinated individuals who did report side effects, 969 individuals reported a mild reaction, whilst 129 reported more serious side effects. Thirteen individuals were hospitalised, three suffered life-threatening side effects and three others passed away following the jab.
