The Omicron variant is undeniably spreading in Europe and around Luxembourg. In France and Belgium, 20% of positive cases can now be traced back to Omicron. In Germany, where the renowned Robert-Koch-Institut now recommends a vaccine mandate as well as a “maximum reduction” of contacts, Omicron is estimated to account for “30 to 50% of all cases”, according to German television channel mdr. This estimate is based on a projection made from the 11.2% of cases listed by the GISAID platform in the week of December 6 to 12.
It is difficult to say to which extent Omicron has already spread in Luxembourg by 22 December and how quickly it is overtaking the Delta variant, which has been the dominant variant since July.
But the country is not spared from the feared contagiousness of the variant: “According to our latest assessment, we have identified five cases” thanks to the sequencing carried out by the National Health Laboratory (LNS) so far, confirmed Minister of Health Paulette Lenert at the press briefing on the new restrictions on Wednesday morning.
The Ministry of Health had confirmed on Tuesday to RTL Télé that five Omicron cases were detected between 5 and 12 December in Luxembourg, i.e., ten days ago. This includes the only official case known so far: a young woman infected with Omicron, as revealed by Lenert eight days ago. Contacted by our colleagues from RTL 5 Minutes, the LNS stated that it is waiting for the publication of its new Revilux report on Friday to make a statement.
On 3 December, a student from Luxembourg already tested positive for the virus in Brussels.
Aware that the rather small official figure of Omicron cases is certainly not in line with the current reality, Lenert nevertheless warned on Wednesday that “this will change”, as “a rapid increase” of Omicron cases is envisaged due to the multiplication factor.
“We must not deny it, it will soon be dominant in Luxembourg”, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said, echoing the experts of the Covid-19 task force who expect 1,000 new positive cases per day in Luxembourg by February. But “we don’t know” how dangerous it will be, Bettel acknowledged.
Omicron is “highly contagious”, and the virus is spreading like wildfire in several countries. France is currently recording a huge increase. Omicron is “ten times more contagious” than the Delta variant, which was already more infectious than the original strain of the virus. The number of infections is expected to double “every two to three days,” Bettel stated.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, explained on Tuesday how quickly Omicron was overtaking other variants in Europe. According to Kluge, Omicron “is becoming, or has already become, dominant” in several countries including Denmark, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, where numbers are doubling “every one and a half to three days”, resulting in “unprecedented rates of transmission”.
To “limit the spread of Omicron as much as possible”, the new Covid-19 law “will be voted on tomorrow (Thursday) and will come into force on Saturday”, i.e., on Christmas Day, the Prime Minister announced on Wednesday.
