Croatia Preorders 1.5 Mn Doses of COVID Vaccine
ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - The head of Zagreb's Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Alemka Markotic, told a press conference on Wednesday that Croatia had preordered 1.5 million doses of vaccines, the procurement of which would be organised by the European Union.
She said that according to the World Health Organisation's data, there were currently 28 vaccines in a clinical trials, with only six in phase 3. Two are from China, the others are from America and England, while the Russian one is not on that list.
"It will be necessary to obtain additional scientific information on their (Russian) procedure. But there is suspicion at the level of the entire professional community that the procedure was too fast and that phase 3 was not carried out to the extent it should be," Markotic said.
Tragedy in Germany: Young Croatia National Team Member Dies in Terrible Accident
August 12, 2020 - Young Croatia national team player Luka Lucic, who played for Stuttgarter Kickers, has died in a tragic accident in Germany.
Vecernji List reports that a 16-year-old was seriously injured in a collision with a train on the U8 line in Ostfildern (Esslingen district in Baden-Württemberg) on Tuesday afternoon at Stuttgarter Straße between Ruit and Heumaden, and later died from the accident.
As Fenix-magazine reveals, the victim was young Croatia national team player Luka Lucic, who played for Stuttgarter Kickers. Lucic made three appearances for the U-17 Croatia national team. According to the German police, Lucic was walking from the direction of Ruit on the bike path on the right side of Stuttgarter Straße. Lucic then wanted to cross the railway line at a crossing equipped with a flashing light.
According to current information, he overlooked the train going in the direction of Ruit.
Despite an emergency stop and a warning signal, the 56-year-old train driver failed to prevent the collision with Lucic. The 16-year-old suffered serious injuries and had to be flown to the clinic by helicopter after receiving first aid from a doctor.
According to the latest police findings, the young man died on Tuesday night. The train driver and passengers were unharmed. The railway, and part of both the Stuttgarter Straße and the transition area were closed until 5:45 am. A fire brigade with six vehicles and 20 firefighters was on duty at the scene of the accident.
Rescue services and an ambulance doctor were at the scene with eleven ambulance services and an ambulance helicopter. The police were on duty with a total of four patrol cars. An expert witness was summoned by the order of the Stuttgart State Attorney's Office. Traffic police have launched an investigation and are asking witnesses who saw the course of the accident to call 0711/39900.
Luka Lucic was born in 2003 in Germany and has participated in several activities of Croatia's youth teams. At the end of 2019, he was invited to a winter camp, and in February 2020, at a friendly tournament in Spain, he made his first appearances for the Croatia U-17 national team.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Long-Distance Swimmer Levacic Fails to Swim North Channel
ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - Croatia's long-distance swimmer Dina Levacic (24) on Tuesday failed to swim the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland due to extremely difficult conditions, ending her endeavor five kilometers before the finish.
Earlier this year Levacic told a news conference that she would try to conquer the 34-kilometer-long North Channel between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland in the period between 10 and 16 August.
After 11 hours of swimming and 38 kilometers, five kilometers before the finish, the crew decided that I should get out of the water, said Levacic.
Levacic has already swum four of the Oceans Seven, a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims.
Croatia's best long-distance swimmer has to date conquered the 30-kilometer Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido as well as the Catalina Channel, the English Channel and the Molokai Channel before that.
Croatia Reports 130 New COVID Cases
ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - In the past 24 hours, there have been 130 new cases of the coronavirus infection in Croatia, and currently there are 686 active cases, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.
There are now 117 COVID patients in hospitals, and eight of them are placed on ventilators. There have been no new deaths in the last 24 hours.
Since the first confirmed case of the infection on 25 February in Croatia, a total of 5,870 persons have been diagnosed with the coronavirus infection, and of them 160 have died, while 5,024 have recovered.
Currently, there are 2,279 persons in self-isolation. To date, 132,292 persons have been tested for, including 1,604 in the last 24 hours.
"There are currently no significant new hotspots. What is characteristic is that people are returning from their holidays, and a lot of young people have become infected. The average age of new coronavirus patients is 34, these are predominantly younger people who have mostly been to different gatherings and places where young people have fun," Croatian Public Health Institute head Krunoslav Capak said.
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!
Croatian Youth Network Calls for Better Education, Employment and Housing
ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - The Croatian Youth Network (MMH) on Wednesday presented its three main demands to the government, calling for better education, employment and housing for young people to provide them with better living conditions in the context of growing insecurity caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The MMH, which has 58 member-associations, presented its demands outside the government and parliament buildings in Zagreb in order to draw public attention to burning issues that burden young people in Croatia.
Its representatives warned that in terms of labour and similar rights, young people in Croatia are at the bottom of EU rankings.
Addressing the public on the occasion of International Youth Day, they called on the government to adopt concrete decisions to ensure a better life for young people.
Speaking of the main problems young people were encountering, they cited problems in finding and keeping a job, poor housing conditions, lack of access to the education system, lack of social measures, etc.
Speaking of young workers, they called for ensuring normal working conditions, permanent employment contracts as well as allowances for the unemployed and for taking into account student work when calculating one's years of service.
As for housing issues, they called for supporting a long-term, subsidised lease scheme.
Speaking of education, MMH leader Josip Milicevic said that one should work more on civic education and education in general.
"It is necessary to encourage vocational education as well as invest in dual education and in making educational processes correspond better with real market needs," he said.
Ministry Sends Message to Youth to Behave Responsibly in "New Normal"
ZAGREB, Aug 12 (Hina) - On the occasion of International Youth Day, the Central State Office for Demography and Youth on Wednesday called on young people to be an example with their conduct and forerunners in a global initiative raising awareness of the "new normal" and in strengthening intergenerational solidarity and dialogue.
On the occasion of International Youth Day, observed on August 12, and this year's theme - Engaging Youth for Global Action - the Office wishes to point out ways in which young people can participate in enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes at the local, national and global levels.
The goal is to learn lessons on how to significantly increase the representation of young people and their activities in informal institutional policies.
"On the occasion of International Youth Day 2020, we wish to emphasise the importance of active participation of youth. Local, national, and global institutions need to become inclusive and strengthen youth to implement global actions and to achieve their objectives," a press release from the Central State Office for Demography and Youth said.
The Office called on young people, "in these challenging times in which we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, to behave responsibly and set an example and lead global initiatives to raise awareness of the 'new normal' and to strengthen inter-generational solidarity and dialogue in an effort to protect one's loved ones and secure a better future," the press release said.
The government will continue implementing activities that will provide opportunities and better conditions for young people to realise their rights and needs and it calls on youth to actively participate in society at the local, state, and European levels.
In 1999, the UN General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.
Daily Warns of Shortage of Primary Care Physicians
ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - An average primary care physician in Croatia is in their fifties, some of them are already opting for early retirement and around 160 who still work are older than 65 and can close their practices any time, the Wednesday issue of the Vecernji List daily says.
According to data from the Croatian Medical Chamber, there are 2,215 family doctors in Croatia, but that figure is disputable, says Vikica Krolo, who heads the KOHOM association of family doctors.
"Around 160 active doctors are older than 65, 200 primary care teams do not include a doctor, and around 660 doctors are about to retire," she says.
The situation with primary gynecology and pediatrics is also unfavourable, the average age of a gynecologist or pediatrician is 54 and 55 respectively, with 30% of active gynecologists being older than 60 and as many as 38% of primary care pediatricians being above that age.
The state has been trying to make up for the lack of young specialists with a specialisation plan that focuses on primary health care in the next five years, Krolo says, but warns that one should provide good work conditions, notably salaries, to attract young doctors to those branches of medicine.
She warns that family doctors opt for early retirement also because they lack motivation.
The administrative part of the job, phone calls, patients' emails, etc. are a daily routine that will become more demanding in the autumn, while patients will have more difficulty accessing primary health care, KOHOM has warned, noting that in addition to work related to the coronavirus epidemic, tourists and refugees, the health system will also have to deal with flu season in the autumn as well as with new prevention programmes.
HZJZ Recommends Ban on Indoor Nightclubs
ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - The Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) on Tuesday amended its recommendations for nightclubs, suggesting that its owners organise their work in the open and prevent the stay of their guests indoors in order to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus.
The HZJZ said its latest recommendations for nightclubs were in line with the current situation regarding the coronavirus disease in Croatia.
Nightclubs that cannot organise their work in the open are allowed to continue operating as cafes.
The HZJZ has also banned dance floors, recommending that instead seating areas with tables and chairs be set up, with a distance of 1.5 metres between them.
The latest recommendations were made in light of the appearance of new coronavirus hot spots, notably in nightclubs along the coast.
Sapiona's Products Receive Coronavirus Effectiveness Certificate
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made us all rethink how we do things. An array of new certificates and ratings have come to be, from ''COVID Safe'' establishments to others, and one very well known Croatian company, Sapiona from Osijek, has seen their products receive a certificate attesting to their effectiveness against the new coronavirus.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 12th of August, 2020, since the appearance of the new coronavirus, Saponia has confirmed itself as one of the first producers to begin with the production of disinfectants and provide institutions and citizens with the necessary means for their health protection. Over recent days, the products from the BIS HANDYSEPT and ARF DEZI-CLEAN line have received another certificate of quality - a certificate of effectiveness against coronavirus.
''This extremely important certificate is the result of the work of Saponia's development team and we have once again proved that products of the highest standards of quality and efficiency are being developed in Croatia as well,'' stated Sapiona according to a press release.
After testing in laboratories “J. S. Hamilton ”, the third largest European laboratory for testing food, animal feed, water, cosmetics, and the microbiological cleanliness of facilities and water sampling, Saponia disinfectants (BIS Handysept - for hand disinfection and Arf Dezi Clean speed and universal - for the disinfection and cleaning of water-repellent surfaces) and the whole group of BIS products (for the disinfection of the hands of healthcare professionals, food industry workers and all those who handle food for human consumption in some way…) received a virulence certificate against the new coronavirus.
''So far, our products have had proven antimicrobial efficacy at the level of 99.999 percent, which is also important in preventing the spread of the new coronavirus, but with these test results, we can rightfully and responsibly communicate that these products also have an antiviral activity, which is the most important thing at the moment for our customers and consumers,'' pointed out Dajana Mrcela, President of the Management Board of Saponia.
For more, follow Made in Croatia.
Robert Koch Institute Discusses German Coronavirus Fears About Croatia
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 11th of August, 2020, all major portals carried the news that nightclubs in Croatia are sources of the spread of the new coronavirus, as well as infection, although a lot of the data appears contradictory and in fact there is no absolute way in which to determine where the virus is coming from.
Deutsche Welle journalist Srecko Matic said that according to the Robert Koch Institute from Berlin, Germany, which monitors the coronavirus pandemic across Germany, 66 cases of infection with the new coronavirus have been imported from Croatia in the last month, N1 television reports.
"In recent days, the danger and fear of importing the new coronavirus has been growing, not only because many Germans have gone away on holiday, but also because certain workers are returning from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey. According to the Robert Koch Institute, most cases were imported from Kosovo, 608, followed by Turkey, 227, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia with 66.
However, Matic believes that there will be no change given the recommendations for travel and stay in Croatia from the German authorities.
"Croatia is doing well, better than in some German provinces where the number of cases has greatly increased. I doubt that stricter measures will be introduced, such as those for parts of Spain or the Bulgarian coast that are marked as risky areas to travel to,'' he stated
He added that all major portals have spread the news that nightclubs in Croatia are sources of infection, although a lot of the information, as stated, is contradictory at best and it remains impossible to determine the sources of outbreaks of this nature.
"It's not a good advertisement, but it won't affect anything. The Germans don't even have an alternative. Air traffic has collapsed, Spain and Turkey are too far away, and going to Croatia with fast highways is the simplest choice for them,'' he concluded.
For more on travel to, from and within Croatia during the coronavirus era, follow our dedicated section.
