According to a press release from national health laboratory the LNS on Monday, in total some 10,000 nasopharyngeal swabs will be taken. The samples are taken in specially equipped rooms or in the rooms of bedridden patients. They are then transported to the LNS in Dudelange where they are analysed by the specialised virology laboratory and the results passed to the patient and management of the home.

Last week the country’s health director, Jean-Claude Schmit, said that a third of all coronavirus deaths were of people from nursing homes.

“In the fight against Covid-19, the time factor plays a major role, especially for the elderly, who are very much at risk of contracting the disease,” LNS director Prof. Dr. Friedrich Mühlschlegel was quoted as saying in a statement. “This is why our employees will not only work seven days a week, as is already the case, but virtually around the clock. In this way, together with the Inspection Sanitaire and the LIH, we are contributing to helping older people via prevention.”

Coordinated by the Luxembourg Institute of Health, working with the LNS and health inspectorate, the tests have been validated by the LNS for reliability.