On Wednesday morning, Minister of Health Paulette Lenert spoke with our colleagues from RTL Radio ahead of the government’s declaration on compulsory vaccination in the Chamber of Deputies. What matters now is “to be prepared for autumn,” Lenert explained, noting how frequently the colder seasons have caught the authorities off guard in the past. This should not be the case this time, with the Minister stressing that “the legislation will be prepared in case we need it”.
One of the reasons the government decided against the introduction of a vaccine mandate for residents from the age of 50 is that there is “no guarantee that a vaccine mandate would have the necessary effect,” according to Lenert, who has always been reluctant regarding the issue. She argues that if the state imposes “such a severe infringement of freedom,” the impact on the country’s healthcare sector “should be clearly visible”. According to the Minister, this would “simply not be the case at the moment”. Lenert also cites the examples of Italy and Greece, where the respective vaccination rates have increased by a maximum of 5% following the introduction of vaccine mandates.
In Luxembourg, 30,000 people over the age of 50 are still not vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Minister is aware that those who are left are the ones who are the most difficult to convince. Therefore, these people will all be contacted again personally in writing. However, Lenert acknowledged that the Ministry can only go so far in trying to persuade these people. Overall, however, the protection granted by vaccines in Luxembourg is “good”, with a vaccination rate of 83% among those over the age of 18. Without vaccines, the situation in the country’s hospitals would certainly not be as calm as it is today, Lenert stated. “What may have been misrepresented and misunderstood,” according to the Minister, “is that a vaccine mandate would be the key to ending the pandemic”.
When will the Omicron vaccines be available in Europe? While the Minister of Health was unable to give a precise date, she stated that the authorities currently expect the new generation of vaccines to be delivered in “September or October”.
Meanwhile, the booster campaigns are well underway. There is still work to be done, the Minister admitted. So far, only about half of the over-80s have had their first booster. Experts “have made it clear that those who are freshly vaccinated have the best protection,” Lenert said. The Minister also stated that Luxembourg will soon make the second booster available to people over 60, as proposed by the European health authorities. People who are particularly at risk, however, should “not hesitate to get vaccinated again immediately,” Lenert stressed.
Lenert said she is “optimistic” about the future evolution of the pandemic. While Luxembourg should certainly “prepare for the worst” in autumn, the Minister argued that there is also the possibility that the pandemic will “gradually decline”.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the Covid-19 crisis is not over yet.
