Daily roundupTuesday's key coronavirus developments from Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg:

• The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 152 new cases of coronavirus were discovered yesterday. Two deaths are to be deplored.

• People who have received an invitation to be vaccinated during the first phase of the campaign, but have not made an appointment, will have the opportunity to be vaccinated at a later date, the Ministry of Health confirmed.

• RTL sources indicate that some primary schools are preparing for ‘scenario three’, which would indicate that classes would only be held in the morning. The government has refuted this.

• Luxembourg currently has a stock of around one million rapid tests. While shortages are thus not a problem, there are still many uncertainties when it comes to how and where they should be used. This and more in Tuesday’s Chamber of Deputies meeting.

• Over the course of last week, the police conducted a total of 360 checks of Covid restrictions. 250 individuals were slapped with fines. In 60% of these cases, people were caught breaking the curfew.

• While 2020 is already long gone, it is still difficult to imagine what 2021 might look like. In a recent publication, the Idea Foundation presents a number of predictions.

And abroad

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to allow more socialising between households from next week as part of plans to gradually loosen virus curbs in the Covid-weary nation, a draft text showed Tuesday.

• Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday became the first recipient of a coronavirus vaccine under the global Covax scheme, as US health workers prepared to distribute nearly four million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson jab.

• US President Joe Biden plans to announce an arrangement for pharma giant Merck to produce Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to boost supply, a senior Biden administration told AFP Tuesday.

• [block type="summary”]Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Monday criticised the EU’s medicine regulator for being “too slow” in approving coronavirus vaccines as he outlined plans to co-ordinate more closely with Israel on inoculations.