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 3 to 9 October 2022.

During the week in question, the number of Luxembourg residents testing positive for COVID-19 increased from 2,324 to 3,004 (up 29%). There were an additional 1,246 reinfections, i.e. 29.3% of all people who tested positive compared to 876 (27.4%) the previous week.

The number of PCR tests carried out increased from 8,796 to 10,274 over one week.

38 people reported a positive rapid antigen test for the reference week, compared to 35 the week before, bringing the number of positive results following such tests carried out by a healthcare professional to a total of 3,571. Note that positive rapid antigen tests are not taken into account in the calculation of the positivity rate.

As of Sunday 9 October 2022, the number of active infections increased to 5,666 from 3,965 the previous week and the number of people having recovered from the illness rose to 288,991 (from 287,692). The average age of people diagnosed with COVID-19 was 45.2 years.

Four new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported during the week in question. The average age of the deceased was 69 years.

In hospitals, there were 26 new admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients to normal care (fourteen one week earlier). There was one patient in intensive care. The average age of hospitalised patients stood at 60 years.

Positivity rate & incidence rate

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (RT eff) decreased to 1.10 (1.31 the previous week) and the positivity rate on all tests carried out rose from 26.42% to 29.24%.

Similarly, the incidence rate increased to 465 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days, compared to 360 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 children aged 5-9 (down 45%) over one week. The greatest increase was recorded among those aged 90 and over (up 115%) and those aged 85-89 (up 66%). The lowest incidence rate was recorded among children aged 0-4 (217 cases per 100,000 residents), while the highest incidence rates were recorded among those aged 90 and over (1,231 cases per 100,000 residents).

Transmission

Among the 4,297 resident cases reported during the week in question, a sample of 612 (14%) cases was reviewed and the source was determined. The family circle was the most frequent source of transmission (20%), followed by work (11%) and education (6%). The share of undetermined sources increased to 45%.

Vaccinations: update

For the week of 3 to 9 October, 2,117 vaccine doses were administered: ten people received a first dose, 26 received a second dose, 123 received a first additional dose compared to a complete vaccination schedule, 1,904 received a second complementary dose and 54 received a third complementary dose, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of Monday 10 October 2022 to 1,290,961.

474,681 people have a complete vaccination schedule, which corresponds to a vaccination rate of 79% of the eligible population (i.e. those aged five and over).

Esch-Belval vaccination centre

The Esch-Belval vaccination centre has reopened from 13 October 2022. The opening hours are from Tuesday to Friday from 07:00 to 19:00 and Saturday from 07:00 to 13:00.

In addition to the vaccination centre, it is possible to get vaccinated in the medical cabinets or pharmacies participating in the vaccination campaign, as well as in the “Impfbus”. All information on the possibilities of vaccination is available online via: www.impfen.lu.