The mobile vaccination teams in shopping centres and the three large vaccination centres in Limpertsberg, Esch-Belval, and Ettelbruck have been kept very busy, while GPs have also had to deal with a substantial increase in demand.
For this reason, the National Health Directorate once again reiterates that those as of yet unvaccinated can still receive a jab at any time and without having to book an appointment first. On the other hand, residents seeking to receive a booster shot are urged to wait for their official invitation.
While the centre in Ettelbruck still received numerous visitors on Thursday, the overall situation has calmed down significantly following the rush on Tuesday. Around 900 people can be vaccinated at this centre every day. After the government’s announcement on Monday that people who had received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine could receive a booster as early as four months after their final dose, the centre’s medical teams found themselves overrun with requests for booster shots.
According to Dr Armin Koegel, the chief physician of the Ettelbruck Vaccination Centre, 1,958 people were vaccinated in Ettelbruck on Tuesday. For a relatively small vaccination centre, compared to the one in Limpertsberg for instance, this was “quite the challenge”, Dr Koegel explained.
Dr Koegel explained that he and his colleagues are especially happy about visitors turning up for their first dose. Speaking to our colleagues from RTL Télé, the physician used the opportunity to call on all remaining unvaccinated individuals to get their jab and “participate in the effort we all have to do to reach herd immunity in Luxembourg”.
As for booster shots, the general guideline is that young people under 30 receive a full dose of the product by BioNTech/Pfizer, while the rest receives half a dose of the Moderna vaccine. However, if there are valid reasons, the physicians on site may take a different decision.
For instance, Dr Koegel pointed out that there is scientific evidence that a Moderna booster for someone who has previously received a double shot of BioNTech/Pfizer has “a beneficial effect” that goes beyond what a third dose of the latter would accomplish.
For those who have received one of the mRNA vaccines, the ideal time for a booster shot is six months after the final dose. In the case of a double vaccination with the product by AstraZeneca, the delay has been lowered to four months on Monday. However, there is no need to worry if the booster shot is administered after the respective period. In addition, Dr Koegel recommends leaving a two-week period between a Covid-19 booster and a different vaccine, for instance the flu shot. It should also be kept in mind that some countries, such as Austria, have limited the validity of a Covid-19 vaccination to nine months.
The full report in Luxembourgish:
