Andorra Disbands Covid-Era National Epidemiology Lab

The Andorran government has formally disbanded the National Epidemiology Laboratory through a decree that revokes the legislation establishing the body, which was created amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Published and effective from 1 January, the decree signed by Health Minister Helena Mas ends the five-year existence of the laboratory, which had operated under the Servei d'Atenció Sanitària d'Urgències i d'Admissions (SAAS). Officials now view it as unnecessary, citing the decline of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the fact that the pandemic emergency was declared over more than two years ago.

The laboratory, previously led by David Vilanova, was set up in November 2020 to bolster responses to health crises. The decree acknowledges its positive impact, noting that the structure—organisationally and functionally linked to the health ministry—helped deliver an improved public health response during the outbreak.

With those conditions no longer applying, the government has concluded that the entity lacks ongoing utility or relevance. Its functions will shift to the University of Andorra, with a stronger focus on research. Details of the transition project, potentially linked to Catsa, remain to be finalised in the coming months.