Luxembourg's Ministry of Health, together with the National Health Laboratory (Laboratoire National de Santé - LNS) and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), has issued a COVID-19 retrospective for the week of 26 July to 1 August 2021.

During this period, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 decreased for the fourth consecutive week, from 566 to 439 cases (down 22%) and the number of their identified close contacts fell from 1,599 to 1,065 (down 33%).

Among the 439 new infections, 366 people were not vaccinated (83.4%) whilst 73 people were fully vaccinated (16.6%).

The number of PCR tests carried out increased from 43,738 the week before to o 46,244 last week.

Eight people reported a positive rapid antigen test for the reference week (down from eleven the previous week), bringing the total number of positive results from such tests performed by healthcare professionals to 266. Since the introduction of self-tests, 786 positive results have been reported, with no cases for the week of 26 July to 1 August. Note that positive rapid antigen tests are not taken into account in calculating the positivity rate.

As of Sunday 1 August 2021, the number of active infections stood at 956 (down from 1,239 as of 25 July) and the number of people having recovered from the virus increased from 71,490 to 72,212. The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 remained stable at 30.8 years (30.3 years the week before).

No new COVID-19-related deaths were reported last week.

In hospitals, the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in normal care increased from seventeen to nineteen over one week. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care increased from four to five. The average age of hospitalised patients decreased slightly, from 52 to 51 years.

Positivity & incidence rates

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (RT eff) remained rather stable at 0.80 (0.82 the previous week). The positivity rate on all tests carried out decreased further from 1.29% to 0.95%, whilst the positivity rate on tests performed through a doctor's prescription (i.e. people with symptoms) fell from 4.19% to 3.65%.

The incidence rate fell across all age groups for the fourth consecutive week, from 89 to 69 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days. The 30-44 age group recorded the greatest decrease over one week (down 37%). The 15-29 age group had the highest incidence rate with 159 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by 0-14 year-olds with 69 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest incidence rate was recorded in the 60-74 and 75+ age groups.

Quarantine & isolation

During the week of 26 July to 1 August, 1,309 people were in isolation (down 18%) and 717 were in quarantine (down 36%).

Transmission

The family circle remained the most frequent context of transmission of COVID-19 infections (34.9%), followed by travel abroad (12.6%) and leisure activities (10.4%). The source of infection was not clearly attributable in 34.2% of cases (down from 36.6% the week before).

Vaccinations: update

For the week in question, a total of 26,788 vaccine doses were administered in Luxembourg. 3,886 people received their first dose, 22,811 people received their second dose and 91 people received a third dose, bringing the total number of vaccinations administered as of 3 August to 717,418. A total of 355,891 people have been fully vaccinated to date. 

Wastewater monitoring

The level of contamination of the eleven sampled wastewater treatment plants studied by LIST during the week of 26 July to 1 August showed a high national prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 flux values. Compared to previous weeks, a significant increase was observed with a level of contamination by SARS-CoV-2 similar to that measured at the beginning of July.