Luxembourg's National Health Laboratory has tested around 300 people since the end of January. Officials are working on ramping up testing capacities. Around 30 tests are currently carried out on a daily basis.
According to the director of National Health Laboratory (LNS), Friedrich Mühlschlegel, Luxembourg is well-prepared to ramp up testing.
He explained that up to 250 tests could ideally be carried out per day at the national lab. Private labs are now also permitted to conduct coronavirus testing. According to information obtained by RTL, this could bring the number of daily tests to 500.
Read more: 12 new confirmed cases in Luxembourg: Ministry of Health
A medical prescription is required to get tested. As a reminder, individuals who fear they may have contracted the virus should under no circumstances go to a GP or an emergency room but call the coronavirus hotline instead (8002 8080).
There are different kinds of tests and LNS has reportedly approved several of them to reduce the risk of shortages, Mühlschlegel explained. The first rounds of tests had to be confirmed by a reference centre. This is no longer the case. According to the director, it takes around five hours to obtain the result once LNS has received the sample. The national lab counts 30 employees. Six of them exclusively carry out coronavirus tests.
No blood sample is required. Throat or nose swabs are collected instead. Once staff receive a sample, their own safety is a key priority. In other words, as Mühlschlegel explains, the first step is to inactivate the potentially infectious samples.
