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 27 June to 3 July 2022.

During the week in question, the number of Luxembourg residents testing positive for COVID-19 increased from 4,485 to 5,741 cases (up 28%).

The number of PCR tests carried out decreased from 11,131 to 14,201 over one week.

53 people reported a positive rapid antigen test for the reference week, compared to 44 the week before, bringing the number of positive results following such tests carried out by a healthcare professional to a total of 3,208. Note that positive rapid antigen tests are not taken into account in the calculation of the positivity rate.

As of Sunday 3 July 2022, the number of active infections increased to 10,488 from 8,834 the previous week and the number of people having recovered from the illness rose from 251,237 to 255,322. The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 was 39.9 years old.

Two new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported during the week of 27 June to 3 July. The age of the deceased was 69 years old.

In hospitals, there were nineteen 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 decreased from two to one. The average age of hospitalised patients stood at 53 years.

Positivity rate & incidence rate

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (RT eff) decreased to 1.02% (1.13% the previous week), and the positivity rate on all tests carried out increased from 40.29% to 40.43%.

The incidence rate increased to 890 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days, compared to 695 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 except people aged 0 to 14 and 85 and over. The largest increase was recorded among people aged 70 to 74 (up 70%), followed by people aged 20 to 29 (up 61%). The lowest incidence rate was recorded among people aged 75 and over (515 cases per 100,000 residents), while the highest incidence rate was recorded among 30-44 year olds (1,509 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. Priority for calls is given to cases over 60 years of age and to residents of care homes.

Among the 3,455 cases contacted before 4 July 2022, 300 cases (8.7%) were randomly selected and have been reviewed for the determination of source. The family circle was the most frequent source of transmission (24%), followed by travel abroad (19%) and leisure activities (42%),. The share of undetermined sources increased to 26%.

Vaccinations: update

For the week of 27 June to 3 July, 1,676 vaccine doses were administered: 76 people received a first dose, 140 received a second dose, 866 people received a first additional dose compared to a complete vaccination schedule, 592 received a complementary second dose and two received a complementary third dose, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of Monday 4 July 2022 to 1,286,324.

474,011 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 26 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, but with a slight increase in the observed SARS-CoV-2 flows.