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 December 2021 to 2 January 2022.
During this period, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 increased from 2,688 to 5,641 cases (up 110%).
Among the 5,641 new infections, the incidence rate is 952.65 per 100,000 unvaccinated people and 858.95 per 100,000 people with a full vaccination schedule.
The number of PCR tests carried out decreased from 25,070 the week before to 23,008 last week.
Among the 47 hospitalisations in normal care, 22 patients were not vaccinated (25 had a complete vaccination schedule), while 14 out of 20 patients in intensive care were not vaccinated.
151 people reported a positive rapid antigenic test for the reference week (up from 78 for the week before), bringing the total number of positive results from such tests performed by a healthcare professional to a total of 905. Since then the introduction of the self-tests, 804 positive results have been reported (no cases for the week of 26 December to 2 January). Note that positive rapid antigen tests are not taken into account in calculating the positivity rate.
As of 2 January 2022, the number of active infections stood at 8,448 (up from 5,487 as of 26 December 2021) and the number of people having recovered from the virus increased from 93,318 to 95,993. The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 is 33.9 years old.
Five new COVID-19-related deaths were reported last week. The average age of those who died is 77 years old.
In hospitals, the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in normal care decreased from 48 to 47 over one week. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care increased from ninteen to 20. The average age of hospitalised patients decreased from 61 to 56 years.
Positivity rate & incidence rate
For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (RT eff) was up 1.30 compared to 0.88 the previous week, while the positivity rate on all the tests carried out (prescriptions, contact tracing) increased from 10.72% to 24.52%.
The incidence rate increased to 889 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 7 days, compared to 423 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for the previous week.
Compared to the previous week, the incidence rate increased in all age groups except those 75 and over. The greatest increase is recorded among 0-14 year olds (up 61%) followed by 45-59 year olds (up 24%). The highest incidence rate is recorded among 0-14 year olds with 547 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest incidence rate is recorded in the age group 75 years and over.
Quarantines & isolations
During the week, 8,122 people were in isolation (up 35%) and 2,540 in quarantine (down 21%).
Transmission
For the 5,641 new cases, the family circle (32.8%) remains the most frequent source followed by trips abroad (10.5%), leisure (4.8%) and work (3.1%). The rate of contaminations for which the source is not clearly attributable decreased to 43.4%.
Vaccinations update
For the week of 27 December to 2 January, a total of 30,991 doses were administered. 3,111 people received a first dose, 2,341 a second and 25,539 people received an additional dose compared to a full schedule, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of 4 January to 1,079,967.
444,896 people have a complete vaccination schedule, which corresponds to a vaccination rate of 80.4% compared to the vaccineable population (therefore the 12 years or older population).
Temporary transfer of the Hall Victor Hugo vaccination centre to Luxexpo The Box
Following technical problems at the Hall Victor Hugo vaccination centre in Limpertsberg, the vaccination centre has been transferred to Luxexpo The Box effective since 3 January 2022, inclusive.
People have made a vaccination appointment at the Hall Victor Hugo vaccination centre in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg need to come on the same date and time of their appointment at the Luxexpo The Box vaccination centre in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.
