The effectiveness of masks has been much discussed since the beginning of the pandemic. Experts recommended wearing one early on, which led Luxembourg’s politicians to buy a significant stock of surgical masks.
85 million masks were purchased, with six million still left in stock. 1.5 million have already had to be destroyed after going past the expiry date.
Luxembourg’s government also began buying antibody tests early on to determine how many in the population had already contracted Covid-19. After the first wave of infections, close to 2% of the people had antibodies.
By now, the 400,000 tests have all been used.
The government also acquired 34 million rapid tests, with 3.8 million left in stock. One million were given to two different partner countries that asked the Grand Duchy for help.
The first Covid-19 vaccines entered the market at the end of 2020. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 72.8% of Luxembourg’s population have received at least two jabs, which puts the Grand Duchy slightly above the European average.
So far, Luxembourg has received 1.75 million doses, with 500,000 units still in stock. 6,020 doses had to be destroyed, while 56,000 were donated to other countries.
It is difficult to predict how the coming months will unfold and what type of material might be needed most. The coronavirus variant responsible for infection spikes in Portugal is currently starting to spread in Luxembourg.
