Paulette Lenert laments the limited vaccine mandate decision window

The government of Luxembourg is eagerly anticipating the expert council's view on vaccine regulations, as the existing Covid law is on the verge of expiring.

The coronavirus expert council plans to issue a new thought on a potential vaccine requirement in the upcoming weeks, according to Dr. Claude Muller, who spoke yesterday with our colleagues at RTL Radio.

Presently, Luxembourg's Covid-19 situation is mild but an upsurge in infections due to fresh variants is happening abroad. 

The Omicron sub-variant BA.5, for example, has caused a recent outbreak of illness and fatalities in Portugal. The variant is also implicated in about 25% of infections diagnosed in Luxembourg at the moment.

Nonetheless, Health Minister Paulette Lenert said there is no cause for anxiety right now: "The currently spreading Covid-19 mutant strains do not produce symptoms as bad as those from the previous ones. Obviously, there is still a risk, but it's doubtful that the condition in our hospitals will deteriorate from one day to the next as a result of our high vaccination rate."

Minister Lenert, however, expressed additional worries about the fresh mutants appearing in the autumn: "We must be conditioned to rev up testing, give new vaccines if in stock, and deliver booster jabs if necessary. These operations are presently running behind the scene."

Lenert acknowledged the government's weeklong anxiousness about the new expert council's thought on vaccine requirements: "As the current Covid laws near expiration, the government has to take a stand on Wednesday."

The expert council earlier in January urged a vaccination obligation for those in the healthcare industry as well as those who are above 50 years. For now, no one can say for sure if the council will stick to their former recommendation.