Daily roundupThursday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from Luxembourg show that 299 new cases of coronavirus were discovered over the last 24 hours. There were three new deaths.

• On Thursday, Director of Health Dr Jean-Claude Schmit and virologist Dr Thomas Dentzer answered questions from the public on social media, offering insights into the vaccine booster programme.

• The general inspectorate for Luxembourg’s social security confirmed the health crisis was at the root of the rise in sick leave from work. 27% of employees took time off work last year due to infectious illnesses, while 14% were absent due to Covid-related reasons.

• Due to the pandemic, Luxembourg’s secondary schools switched from trimesters to semesters last year. An internal document from the Ministry of Education notes that the benefits of the system are worth making the switch permanent.

• While the country’s major parties are all losing approval, politicians from smaller parties are gaining favour.

• Opinion - Stephen Lowe:Vaxxed and masked? Vaxxed and carefree? ‘No jab, thanks’ and stuck at home? What is right and what is wrong is never less clear, and people are rightly angry. Or, they wrongly are!

And abroad

• With intensive care beds filling up and health staff running short, a hospital in Bavaria’s Freising made an unprecedented decision to transfer a coronavirus patient to northern Italy for treatment. Hospitals in Germany are beginning to feel the strain of this fourth wave.

• Many scientists tracking the data believe it’s the right time for a booster shot - though some have expressed misgivings, since the original vaccines are still holding up well against severe disease and death among the general population. Here’s why some experts are divided.

• Pfizer said Thursday it will sell 10 million Covid-19 treatment courses for Covid-19 to the US government for $5.3 billion, pending approval from regulators.

• Portugal on Wednesday said it was considering imposing new coronavirus restrictions after an increase in cases and hospitalisations, despite having one of the world’s best vaccination rates.