After a lacklustre start to the vaccination campaign, Luxembourg is planning to speed up its rollout next week.
On Monday, the delivery of the second jabs of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine will commence and on Thursday, the first doses of the Moderna vaccine will start to be administered.
As Luxembourg surpasses 550 Covid deaths, the National Health Laboratory is also closely observing the spread of the new UK variant. In light of this, vaccination efforts have been stepped up this week and will continue on a new, higher trajectory.
Just as it seemed the country was lagging behind in its inoculation campaign – 60% of delivered doses had not been administered - the government started releasing the daily vaccination figures on Monday, showing a sharp increase.
For the first two weeks of the campaign, just 122 people on average received the vaccine per day. This week, that number has increased to 383. One should note that only the figures from Monday to Thursday were used in this calculation.
This means that within four days 1,532 people were vaccinated, compared to 1,701 people who received their first jab during the first two weeks of the campaign.
For the first time, the Ministry of Health has published the number of doses the country is still waiting for. Between now and 29 March Luxembourg is due to receive another 86,400 doses. The ministry also said that it was pleased with the current rollout.
Ministry publishes vaccine allocations planned for Luxembourg
Moderna vaccine available from Thursday
Next week, the number of vaccinations is likely to go up even more as the delivery of second doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine will commence. In particular, healthcare workers who received their first jab in December have been summoned for their second jab, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health
The Grand-Duke and the health minister, Paulette Lenert, are due to visit the vaccination centre in the rue Victor Hugo in Limpertzberg on Monday afternoon.
© JOSEP LAGO / AFP
The Ministry of Health also confirmed that from Thursday the Moderna vaccine will be administered in Luxembourg.
Luxembourg first EU country to receive Moderna vaccine
Moreover, the four “centres hospitaliers” as well as the Centre for the Psychiatric Hospital in Ettelbruck (CHNP) will receive an additional 975 doses on Monday. Thus, some 3,900 healthcare workers will be able to receive their first jab.
The opening of another vaccination centre in the east of Luxembourg should also be seen as another indication that the country’s vaccination efforts will be stepped up.
Third vaccine expected late January
The opposition also inquired about the long-term strategy of the vaccination campaign. The government is due to give a formal answer soon, including what age groups will be prioritised.
The initial strategy unveiled by the PM and the health minister in December has not been updated since.
The government remains reticent regarding the number of daily vaccinations needed to acquire herd immunity. The Ministry of Health said it is treading carefully as the country’s campaign is heavily dependent on the supply of more doses.
Which vaccines can Luxembourg expect, and when?
BioNTech’s announcement that it is experiencing delays in distributing the vaccine seems to justify the ministry’s approach. The German-American consortium remains Luxembourg’s main vaccine supplier, with another 4,875 doses due to arrive on Monday.
The likely authorisation of a third vaccine – Oxford/AstraZeneca – by the end of January will give Luxembourg a further boost to ramp up vaccinations.
The infection specialist Dr Gérard Schockmel said that the European Medecines Agency is “optimistic” about AstraZeneca’s application and that, if all goes as expected, their vaccine will be approved on 29 January.
