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 16 to 22 May 2022.

During the week in question, the number of Luxembourg residents testing positive for COVID-19 decreased from 2,704 to 1,879 cases (down 30%).

The number of PCR tests carried out fell from 9,722 to 9,178 over one week.

20 people reported a positive rapid antigen test for the reference week, compared to 21 the week before, bringing the number of positive results following such tests carried out by a healthcare professional to a total of 2,981. Note that positive rapid antigen tests are not taken into account in the calculation of the positivity rate.

As of Sunday 22 May 2022, the number of active infections decreased to 4,846 from 6,244 the previous week and the number of people having recovered from the illness rose to 240,839 (from 237,565). The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 was 40.1 years old.

Three new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported during the week of 16 to 22 May. The average age of the deceased was 82 years old.

In hospitals, there were twelve new admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients to normal care (down from thirteen one week earlier). The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care increased from one to two. The average age of hospitalised patients stood at 61 years.

Positivity rate & incidence rate

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (RT eff) decreased to 0.62 (0.87 the previous week), and the positivity rate on all tests carried out fell from 27.81% to 20.47%.

Similarly, the incidence rate decreased to 291 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days, compared to 419 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. The greatest decrease was recorded among 0-14 year olds (down 47%) followed by the 30-44 year olds (down 31%). Moreover, the lowest incidence rate was recorded among people aged 75 and over (223 cases per 100,000 residents), while the highest incidence rate was recorded among 30-44 year olds (432 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 2,266 resident cases recorded during the week of 16 to 22 May, only contacted cases (via telephone) have been reviewed and the source has been determined.

Among the 1,907 cases contacted during this period, the family circle was the most frequent source of transmission (31%), followed by travel abroad (12%), education (9%), leisure activities (7%) and work place (7%). The share of undetermined sources increased to 28%.

Vaccinations: update

For the week of 16 to 22 May, 2,704 vaccine doses were administered: 83 people received a first dose, 106 received a second dose, 576 people received a first additional dose compared to a complete vaccination schedule, 1,937 received a complementary second dose and two received a third complementary dose, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of Tuesday 24 May 2022 to 1,281,267.

473,434 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.

Wastewater monitoring

According to the latest CORONASTEP report published by LIST, the level of contamination of the thirteen wastewater treatment plants analysed during week 20 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.