Xavier Bettel and Paulette Lenert held press conference on Friday

Death count increased and healthcare support

At the very start of the press conference, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel confirmed that the number of people who have died from the coronavirus in Luxembourg increased from 9 to 15. One of these, said Bettel, was a patient from France. Luxembourg is currently helping the neighbouring country handle a steep increase in patients.

Bettel also noted that new measures have been taken to support the healthcare sector. For instance, medical students are now allowed to perform more than 15 hours per week in support, and thousands of volunteers have stepped forward.

The prime minister also said that family leave will be further guaranteed as schools remain closed, but only in particular cases of need.

Home safety

Bettel said that people cannot be evicted from their homes during this state of crisis, and said that further measures to this effect will be communicated shortly. Bettel also said that current measures are exceptional and that Luxembourg is going further than other countries, but he is fully committed to the government's strategy.

Key statistics

Minister of Health Paulette Lenert opened her remarks by expressing her condolences to the families of the people who have died from the coronavirus.

She is delivering updates on current numbers:

Average age of people who died: 80
Age of the youngest person to have died: 53
Number of people who have recovered: 40
Number of people under intensive care: 25
Number of operational intensive care units: 113
Number of confirmed cases in total: 1,605
Number of tests run: 13,738 to date

Luxembourg is currently the leading country in terms of testing for the novel virus, she said.

Further intensive care units

Lenert stated that some 300 additional ICUs will become operational in the coming weeks - and the number will rise in accordance with the numbers of respirators arriving to the Grand Duchy. Lenert also applauded the cooperation between hospitals, and noted that other patients are being seen after as coronavirus preparations are furthered.

New monitoring platform?

Minister of Health Paulette Lenert noted that a new monitoring platform is being developed, and should be ready for release in the near future. This, she said, should help calm the rumour mill. The minister also warned against numbers being taken out of context - something we here at RTL Today have also noted. The following articles, while a couple of days old, may prove interesting:

A graphic overview of confirmed cases to date as rate of new cases seems to slow

How do Luxembourg's testing frequency and positive results compare internationally?

Do note that these were written earlier this week - we'll provide new analyses in the coming days.