Five out of 1,800 participants (0.3%) tested positive for the virus during the Luxembourg Convince study Shutterstock

Five out of 1,800 participants (0.3%) tested positive for the virus during the Luxembourg Convince study Shutterstock

The Convince Study was announced at the beginning of April and is being conducted by the Luxembourg science taskforce Research Luxembourg covid-19.

It issued serology tests to 1,800 voluntary participations to detect the presence of antibodies in the blood are used as an indicator of a previous infection. Of the sample group, 35 participants (1.9%) had the antibodies.

“It is important to highlight that the presence of antibodies in the blood is not proof that people are immune,” principal investigator of the study, professor Rejko Krüger, said in a press statement issued on Thursday.

Each participant underwent a nasal and oropharyngeal swab followed by PCR-based virus test. The results found that five out of the 1,800 participants (0.3%) tested positive for the virus. According to the statement, they were asymptomatic or presented only mild symptoms.

1,449 asymptomatic carriers

“Based on these very first numbers, we estimated that 1,449 people in Luxembourg alone and without taking into account cross-border workers could be currently infected and show no or only mild signs of the disease,” Krüger said.

He said this highlights the need for a large-scale testing strategy to identify and isolate asymptomatic carriers before they return to work.

The Luxembourg health ministry has announced at the end of April plans to offer up to 20,000 PCR tests per day by 18 May, as part of a nationwide screening for coronavirus. Since 4 May, screening has been offered to final year students and teaching staff.