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 20 to 26 June 2022.

During the week in question, the number of Luxembourg residents testing positive for COVID-19 increased from 3,985 to 4,485 cases (up 13%).

The number of PCR tests carried out decreased from 11,338 to 11,131 over one week.

44 people reported a positive rapid antigen test for the reference week, compared to 52 the week before, bringing the number of positive results following such tests carried out by a healthcare professional to a total of 3,155. Note that positive rapid antigen tests are not taken into account in the calculation of the positivity rate.

As of Sunday 26 June 2022, the number of active infections increased to 8,822 from 7,045 the previous week and the number of people having recovered from the illness rose from 248,548 to 251,249. The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 was 38.4 years old.

Seven new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported during the week of 20 to 26 June. The age of the deceased was 72 years old.

In hospitals, there were thirteen new admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients to normal care (down from fifteen one week earlier). The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care remained stable at two. The average age of hospitalised patients stood at 56 years.

Positivity rate & incidence rate

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (RT eff) decreased to 1.13% (1.20% the previous week), and the positivity rate on all tests carried out increased from 35.15% to 40.29%.

The incidence rate increased to 695 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days, compared to 617 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 increased across all age groups. The largest increase was recorded among people aged 15 to 29 (up 22%), followed by people aged 30 to 44 (up 18%). The lowest incidence rate was recorded among people aged 75 and over (494 cases per 100,000 residents), while the highest incidence rate was recorded among 30-44 year olds (1,135 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 5,925 resident cases recorded during the week of 20 to 26 June, only contacted cases (via telephone) have been reviewed and the source has been determined.

Among the 724 cases contacted during this period, the family circle was the most frequent source of transmission (25%), followed by leisure activities (12%), travel abroad (11%) and work place (7%). The share of undetermined sources decreased to 23%.

Vaccinations: update

For the week of 20 to 26 June, 1,095 vaccine doses were administered: 59 people received a first dose, 86 received a second dose, 532 people received a first additional dose compared to a complete vaccination schedule, 418 received a complementary second dose, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of Monday 27 June 2022 to 1,285,221.

473,870 people have a complete vaccination schedule, which corresponds to a vaccination rate of 78.8% 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 25 of 2022 showed a still high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater at the national level.

At national and regional level, the trend remained similar to previous week, with SARS-CoV-2 flows stabilising at a high level.