New COVID-19 cases - Weekly review: 21 - 27 February 2022

The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has increased from 3,648 to 4,670 cases (+28%) for the week of 21 to 27 February 2022.

Among the 4,670 new infections, the incidence rate of positive non-vaccinated persons is 754 per 100,000 inhabitants and 728,6 per 100,000 inhabitants for those who had a complete vaccination.

Among hospital admissions, 12 out of 21 patients in normal care were not vaccinated (9 patients had a complete vaccination), while 2 out of 7 patients of intensive care were not vaccinated.

The calculated incidence rate per 100,000 hospitalised persons (5 years and older) with a complete vaccination pattern is 1.87 in normal care and 1.04 in intensive care. The calculated incidence rate per 100,000 non-vaccinated hospitalized persons (5 years and older) is 9.99 in normal care and 1.67 in intensive care.

The number of PCR tests performed during the week of 21 to 27 February has increased from 15,271 to 17,551.

47 people reported a positive rapid antigen test (RAT) for the reporting week, compared to 50 the previous week, bringing the number of positive results performed by a health-care worker to a total of 2,071. It should be noted that positive RATs are not included in the calculation of the positivity rate.

As of 27 February, the number of active infections has decreased to 8,468 compared to 9,747 on 20 February, while the number of people healed increased from 167,775 to 173,717. The average age of those diagnosed as positive for COVID-19 is 33.8 years.

For the week of 21 to 27 February, 7 new deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported. The average age of the deceased is 79 years.

In the hospitals, there were 21 new admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients in normal care, compared to 42 the previous week. The number of occupied beds in the intensive care unit decreased from 9 to 7. The average age of hospitalised patients is 62 years.

Positivity rate and incidence rate

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (R) increased, with 1.03% compared to 0.83% the previous week, while the positivity rate on all tests performed (prescriptions, contact tracing) increased from 23,89% to 26,61%.

The 7-day incidence rate increased to 736 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 575 per 100,000 inhabitants the previous week.

Re-infections as well as certified self-tests in schools were included in the calculation of incidence rates. Compared to the previous week, the incidence rate has increased in all age groups.

The largest increase was recorded in the 0-14 age group (+75%), followed by the 15-29 age group (+61%). It should be noted that in the week of 7 to 13 February, about 21% of the positive tests in children aged 0-14 years were antigenic tests carried out at school, whereas in the week of 14 to 20 February, due to the school holidays, there were no antigenic tests carried out at school. In the week of 21 to 27 February, school-certified self-tests accounted for 28% of cases among 0-14 year olds and 16% of cases among 15-29 year olds.

The lowest incidence rate is recorded in the 60-74 age group (403 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), while the highest incidence rate is recorded in the 30-44 age group with 1,278 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Contaminations

As the number of new infections remains high, the identification of sources is currently not possible for all cases.

The family circle remains the most frequent source of transmission of COVID-19 infections (24.6%), followed by travel abroad (22.8%), leisure activities (5.3%), education (3.6%) and work (2.3%). The percentage of undetermined sources has decreased (37.03%).

Vaccinations: update on the situation

For the week of 21 to 27 February, a total of 5,296 doses were administered. 535 people received a 1st dose, 1,531 a 2nd dose, 2,643 people received one complementary dose to a full vaccination, and 587  received a second complementary dose to a full vaccination, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of 1 March to 1,264,971.

468,692 people have a complete vaccination pattern, which corresponds to a vaccination rate of 77.9% of the eligible population (i.e. the 5+ population).

Closure of the centre Luxexpo The Box and reopening of the centre Hall Victor Hugo

The temporary vaccination centre at Luxexpo The Box (Luxembourg-Kirchberg) will close on Saturday, 5 March 2022. It will be replaced by the Hall Victor Hugo vaccination centre in Limpertsberg which will reopen on 8 March 2022.

Appointments (for vaccination) at the vaccination centres can be made online at Guichet.lu.

The opening hours of all vaccination points can be found at www.covidvaccination.lu.

Vaccination now possible in pharmacies

Since 26 February, it is possible to get vaccinated in pharmacies, without waiting for the invitation by post. Anyone aged 12 and over can make an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccination at the various participating pharmacies. Based on the availability of the vaccine (messenger RNA and Janssen), the list of pharmacies is updated every week on https://covid19.public.lu/en/vaccination/with-appointment.html

"Pop Up" Vaccination: Lëtzebuerg léisst sech impfen

To increase vaccination coverage, the Government continues to facilitate access to vaccination by deploying temporary vaccination spots ("Pop Up" Vaccination) and mobile teams will be present in high-traffic areas (pedestrian zones, shopping malls, events organised by some municipalities).

The list of all new vaccination spots is continuously updated and can be consulted on covidvaccination.lu.

Nuvaxovid vaccine (Novavax): Use of COVID-19 vaccine in vaccination centres

The government is expanding the range of available vaccines to include the new Nuvaxovid vaccine (Novavax), which will initially be administered only in vaccination centres from 1 March 2022.

The Nuvaxovid vaccine is based on a "traditional" technology: it is composed of protein subunits, following a principle that has been used for decades in the production of vaccines such as those against whooping cough, hepatitis B, or the Human papilloma virus (HPV).

Any resident or non-resident with a Luxembourg social security number ("Matricule") and aged 18 and over can be vaccinated with the Novavax vaccine for the primary vaccination, with or without an appointment.

The administration of booster doses is only possible by appointment.

Further information on https://covid19.public.lu/en/vaccination.html

The evolution of the variants

Variant sequencing data are published every Friday on the website of the National Health Laboratory (Laboratoire national de Santé, LNS) https://lns.lu/en/publications-en/.

Wastewater monitoring in Luxembourg as part of SARS-CoV-2

According to the latest CORONASTEP report drawn up by the LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology), the contamination level of the 13 wastewater treatment plants analysed during the eighth week of 2022 still shows a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater at national level. The decrease in the flow of SARS-CoV-2, which began three weeks ago, is again confirmed this week, although a slight rebound was identified at the end of the week. This decrease is also still noticeable at all the treatment plants analysed.

All CORONASTEP reports are available on the LIST website: https://www.list.lu/en/covid-19/coronastep/.

Press release by the Ministry of Health, the Laboratoire national de santé (LNS) and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)

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