New COVID-19 cases - Weekly review: 25 - 31 October

For the week of 25 to 31 October, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has increased from 981 to 1,118 cases (+14%), as well as the number of their identified close contacts, which increased to 4,452, compared to 4,031 cases the week before (+10%).

Among the 1,118 new infections, the incidence rate of positive non-vaccinated persons is 258.76 per 100,000 inhabitants and 123.26 per 100,000 inhabitants for those who had a complete vaccination pattern.

Among hospital admissions, 18 out of 24 patients in normal care were not vaccinated (6 had a complete vaccination pattern), while 9 out of 10 patients of intensive care were not vaccinated. Among the 24 patients hospitalised in normal care, one resides in Belgium.

The number of PCR tests performed during the week of 25 to 31 October has increased from 16,754 to 20,631.

21 people reported a positive rapid antigen test (RAT) for the reporting week, compared to 13 the previous week, bringing the number of positive results performed by a health-care worker to a total of 392. Since the introduction of self-tests, 804 positive results have been reported (with 0 cases for the week of 25 to 31 October). It should be noted that positive RATs are not included in the calculation of the positivity rate.

As of 31 October, the number of active infections has increased to 2,041 (from 1,694 on 24 October), while the number of people healed increased from 78,427 to 79,194. The average age of those diagnosed as positive for COVID-19 has increased from 33.8 to 35.2 years.

For the week of 25 to 31 October, 4 new deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported. The average age of the deceased is 73 years.

In the hospitals, there were 24 new admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients in normal care, compared to 17 the previous week. In intensive care, the number of occupied beds increased from 7 to 10. The average age of hospitalised patients increased from 51 to 59 years.

Positivity rate and incidence rate

For the reference period, the effective reproduction rate (R) slightly decreased with 1.08% compared to 1.17% the previous week, while the positivity rate on all tests performed (prescriptions, contact tracing) dropped from 5.86% to 5.42%.

The 7-day incidence rate increased to 176 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 155 per 100,000 inhabitants the previous week.

Compared to the previous week, the incidence rate has increased in all age groups, except in the 15-29 age group (-9%). The largest increase was recorded in the 75+ age group (+54%), followed by the 30-44 age group (+27%).

The highest incidence rate is recorded in the 0-14 age group with 268 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest incidence rates are recorded in the 75+ age group.

Quarantine and isolation

During the week of 25 to 31 October, 2,108 people were in isolation (+21%) and 4,583 in quarantine (+10%).

Contaminations

For the 1,118 new cases, the family circle remains the most frequent source of transmission of COVID-19 infections with 31.2%, followed by education (14.3%), leisure activities (7.0%) and work (6.9%). The rate of contamination for which the source is not clearly attributable increased to 33.8%.

Scenario 4 at the "Lycée Mathias Adam"

In a class at the "Lycée Mathias Adam", two students tested positive in the week of 18-24 October. Five more students tested positive between 25 and 28 October.

The usual health measures were put in place (quarantine of unvaccinated and un-recovered students).

Vaccinations: update on the situation

For the week of 25 to 31 October, a total of 15,746 doses were administered. 4,736 people received a 1st dose, 1,590 a 2nd dose and 9,420 people received a complementary dose to a full vaccination pattern, bringing the total number of vaccines administered as of 2 November to 817,070. 422,990 People have a complete vaccination pattern, which corresponds to a vaccination rate of 76.5% of the eligible population (i.e. the 12+ population).

Upcoming events of the "Impf-Bus on tour"

More information can be found on: https://www.vdl.lu/de/die-stadt/coronavirus-covid-19/mobiles-impfzentrum-impf-bus

Please note that the vaccination can be done without appointment (identity card and CNS card required). People who come for their 2nd dose must also bring their vaccination certificate for the 1st dose.

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/departement/department-of-microbiology/revilux/.

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

The level of contamination of the 13 sampled wastewater treatment plants studied by the LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology) during the week of 25 to 31 October showed a still high prevalence of coronavirus in wastewater at national level. If we consider the data of the past month, a progressive increase is visible. At regional level, the general trend is very similar.

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)

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