Luxembourg's Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, together with the National Health Laboratory (Laboratoire National de Santé - LNS) and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), have published a COVID-19 report for the week of 9 to 15 May 2022.

During the week in question, the number of Luxembourg residents testing positive for COVID-19 decreased from 3,257 to 2,704 cases (down 17%).

The number of PCR tests carried out fell from 10,772 to 9,721 over one week.

21 people reported a positive rapid antigen test for the reference week, compared to 47 the week before, bringing the number of positive results following such tests carried out by a healthcare professional to a total of 2,961. Note that positive rapid antigen tests are not taken into account in the calculation of the positivity rate.

As of Sunday 15 May 2022, the number of active infections decreased to 6,232 from 7,193 the previous week and the number of people having recovered from the illness rose to 237,577 (from 233,915). The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 was 37.3 years old.

Three new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported during the week of 9 to 15 May. The average age of the deceased was 81 years old.

In hospitals, there were thirteen new admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients to normal care (down from sixteen one week earlier). The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care increased from zero to one. The average age of hospitalised patients stood at 59 years.

Positivity rate & incidence rate

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (RT eff) decreased to 0.80 (0.97 the previous week), and the positivity rate on all tests carried out fell from 30.27% to 27.82%.

Similarly, the incidence rate decreased to 419 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days, compared to 505 cases per 100,000 residents for the previous week.

Reinfections as well as certified self-tests were included in the calculation of incidence rates, which decreased across all age groups except among 15-29 year olds (up 0.3%). The greatest decrease was recorded among people aged 75 and over (down 45%), followed by 0-14 year olds (down 35%). Moreover, the lowest incidence rate was recorded among people aged 75 and over (245 cases per 100,000 residents), while the highest incidence rate was recorded among 30-44 year olds (629 cases per 100,000 residents).

Transmission

With the number of cases remaining high, the authorities have found it difficult to contact all the infected individuals during the week in question and therefore to determine the probable source of contamination. Of the 3,213 resident cases recorded during the week of 9 to 15 May, only contacted cases (via telephone) have been reviewed and the source has been determined.

Among the 2,068 cases contacted during this period, the family circle was the most frequent source of transmission (35%), followed by education (10%), leisure activities (9%) and travel abroad (9%). The share of undetermined sources remained unchanged at 26%.

Vaccinations: update

For the week of 9 to 15 May, 2,475 vaccine doses were administered: 74 people received a first dose, 110 received a second dose, 508 people received a first additional dose compared to a complete vaccination schedule, 1,781 received a complementary second dose and two received a third complementary dose, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of Tuesday 17 May 2022 to 1,281,267.

473,329 people have a complete vaccination schedule, which corresponds to a vaccination rate of 78.7% of the eligible population (i.e. those aged five and over).

"Impf-Bus on tour" vaccination buses continued to offer their services, with full details on www.impfen.lu.

The Hall Victor Hugo vaccination centre in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg will be closed exceptionally on Ascension Day, Thursday 26 May 2022.

Wastewater monitoring

According to the latest CORONASTEP report published by LIST, the level of contamination of the thirteen wastewater treatment plants analysed during week 19 of 2022 showed a still high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater at the national level.

SARS-CoV-2 flows measured during the week in question were down from those measured the previous week. Similar downward trends were observed at the regional level for the various wastewater treatment plants analysed, with the exception of Grevenmacher.