Daily roundupMonday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from Luxembourg show that 1,592 new cases of coronavirus were discovered over the last 72 hours.

• From 3 January, fully vaccinated individuals in Luxembourg may receive their Covid booster four months after their last dose, instead of the previously communicated six months.

• Several laboratories were overwhelmed by demand on Monday, as people showed up to do a PCR test after the Christmas holidays. At the Bionext Lab in Leudelange, the influx even disrupted traffic.

• René Winkin, the director of the business federation Fedil, told RTL Radio we should consider reducing enforced quarantine periods.

• The Union of Luxembourg Enterprises (UEL) and the Consultative Human Rights Commission have waded in on the vaccine mandate debate, with the UEL arguing that “the majority should dictate where we stand and what we should do.”

• Luxair has recorded a busy holiday season, with more than 55,000 air travellers over a two week period.

And abroad

• US health authorities on Monday approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 booster shot for children as young as 12, and reduced the wait time between initial vaccination and an extra dose from six months to five, for all ages.

• French MPs on Monday began debating draft legislation that would require most people to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter public spaces such as bars, restaurants and long-distance public transport.

• The Beijing Winter Olympics begin one month on Tuesday with diplomatic boycotts, the coronavirus and the fate of Peng Shuai all hanging heavy over the Games.

• Two German scientists recently presented a project that could help facilitate our daily lives in the pandemic. A UV barrier that kills 99% of a virus in enclosed spaces is what they promise.

• New Zealand’s government said Monday it would not ask for British DJ Dimension to be prosecuted for breaking Covid isolation rules and creating an Omicron infection scare.