The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has decreased from 9,550 to 8,110 cases (-15%) for the week of 28 March to 3 April 2022.
Among the 8,110 new infections, the incidence rate of positive non-vaccinated persons is 1,111.0 per 100,000 inhabitants and 1,340.5 per 100,000 inhabitants for those who had a complete vaccination.
Among hospital admissions, 5 out of 24 patients in normal care were not vaccinated (19 patients had a complete vaccination), while 2 out of 3 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 4.14 in normal care and 0.22 in intensive care. The calculated incidence rate per 100,000 non-vaccinated hospitalized persons (5 years and older) is 3.50 in normal care and 1.40 in intensive care.
The number of PCR tests performed during the week of 28 March to 3 April has decreased from 24,609 to 22,273.
86 people reported a positive rapid antigen test (RAT) for the reporting week, compared to 95 the previous week, bringing the number of positive results performed by a health-care worker to a total of 2,478. It should be noted that positive RATs are not included in the calculation of the positivity rate.
As of 3 April, the number of active infections has increased to 18,113 compared to 17,545 on 27 March, while the number of people healed increased from 192,702 to 200,236. The average age of those diagnosed as positive for COVID-19 is 37.7 years.
For the week of 28 March to 3 April, 8 new deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported. The average age of the deceased is 81 years.
In the hospitals, there were 24 new admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients in normal care, compared to 32 the previous week. The number of occupied beds in the intensive care unit decreased from 4 to 3. The average age of hospitalised patients is 55 years.
Positivity rate and incidence rate
For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (R) decreased, with 0.77% compared to 1.20% the previous week, while the positivity rate on all tests performed (prescriptions, contact tracing) decreased from 38.81% to 36.41%.
The 7-day incidence rate decreased to 1,278 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 1,505 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 decrease was recorded in the 0-14 age group (-22%), followed by the 15-29 age group (-21%). In the week of 28 March to 3 April, school-certified self-tests accounted for 31% of cases among 0-14 year olds and 11% of cases among 15-29 year olds.
The lowest incidence rate is recorded in the 60-74 age group (900 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), while the highest incidence rate is recorded in the 0-14 age group with 1,958 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Contaminations
With the number of cases still high, it is difficult to call all the cases for the week and therefore to determine the likely source of contamination. It was therefore decided to prioritise the 50+ year olds and the unvaccinated.
Cases after positive self-tests of pupils and teachers in schools were not called, nor were cases after positive self-tests at home who requested a PCR prescription. Of the 9,810 resident cases recorded in the week of 28 March to 3 April, the data of 1,742 called cases were reviewed and the source determined.
The family circle remains the most frequent source of transmission of COVID-19 infections (31.1%), followed by leisure activities (7.9%), travel abroad (5.2%), education (4.9%) and work (2.9%). The percentage of undetermined sources has increased (30.3%).
Vaccinations: update on the situation
For the week of 28 March to 3 April, a total of 1,664 doses were administered. 97 people received a 1st dose, 431 a 2nd dose, 935 people received one complementary dose to a full vaccination, and 201 received a second complementary dose to a full vaccination, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of 5 April to 1,276,078.
472,346 people have a complete vaccination pattern, which corresponds to a vaccination rate of 78.6% of the eligible population (i.e. the 5+ population).
"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 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 13th week of 2022 still shows a very high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater at national level. The fluxes of SARS-CoV-2 measured this week are increasing compared to those observed last week. Similar trends were observed for the different wastewater treatment plants analysed, with significant increases at the Beggen, Schifflange, Pétange, Mersch and Troisvierges treatment plants.
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 Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, the National Health Laboratory (LNS) and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)