Made in Croatia

March 28, 2020 - Dalmatians have always been resourceful in times of adversity, but have they come up with the ultimate weapon to fight COVID-19 - the prsut mask? (DISCLAIMER - Please note that in these troubled times, this is an attempt at a humorous post to lighten the mood. The prsut mask is obviously not suitable for protection from COVID-19) Humour can be in short supply at trying times such as these, and although Brits are known for their sense of humour, I personally find the humour of Croatians and the Balkan region to be equally quality.  Especially when…

March 27, 2020 - COVID-19 is not the first unwelcome infectious enemy to come to Croatia, and Vili Beros was not available in yesteryear, so how did the Croatian Parliament battle the 1739 plague? With a promise which was fulfilled just 26 years ago, in 1994.  One of the most interesting stories I have come across in continental Croatia is from the town of Lubreg, about one hour north of Zagreb close to the Hungarian border.  Ludbreg is known in Croatia mostly for its claim to be the centre of the world, but as I discovered on my first visit…

As Index/Martina Paucek Sljivak writes on the 24th of March, 2020, an emergency medicine specialist from Istria County has created a praiseworthy project that will help many during this coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Srdjan Jerkovic has created a website, Pregledajme.com, to help Croatia's residents make more informed decisions about seeking appropriate medical care, and when and when not to do so. "Because medical institutions and hospitals may soon become overwhelmed with new cases due to the coronavirus epidemic, this solution can help reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Medical staff are quickly overburdened. Doctors are already busy caring for sick…

Mario Romulic is known as an extremely talented photographer, but that isn't all he does. This artistic eye is also a well known farmer, and he has made a strong case in the face of the coronavirus pandemic for us all to start to try to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on others. ''Produce healthy food for yourself, don't depend on others! Now you can see how important it is to cultivate a piece of land - you'll feel far safer and healthier. Who knows what awaits us, perhaps what's happening is just a warning,'' says famed photographer and…

As Bernard Ivezic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of March, 2020, the Croatian supercomputer ''Isabella'' has been made available to researchers fighting the world's current coronavirus pandemic. The SRCE (HEART) University Computing Centre, which houses the Isabella supercomputer, called on all researchers to contact them and use their facilities in the fight against the virus. "Srce would like to invite all researchers and scientists involved in coronavirus pandemic research effort to contact us if they need significant computing power and storage for modeling, simulation or data processing purposes," the university writes. Isabella is a supercomputer made up of 3,100 processor…

As Novac/Visnja Gotal writes on the 23rd of March, 2020, the Međimurje-based company Tehnix has developed and manufactured an interesting mobile Corona Cabin for the prevention of the spread of coronavirus and for people with viral symptoms. The mobile cabin, measuring 3x6,40 metres in size, is equipped with a kitchen, a bathroom and a sleeping area, it has a heating and ventilation system and is suitable for longer stays. ''We developed the cabin primarily because of our drivers travelling to Europe. Upon arrival, they leave the truck to be disinfected, and are placed in a sterile corona cabin, where they…

The Croatian company ''Galeb'' from the ''pirate town'' of Omiš has organised the 24-hour production of reusable cotton protective masks to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Production began very recently, and more than ten thousand pieces are produced daily. As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 21st of March, 2020, the Galeb masks, like all of this particular company's products, are made from health-friendly and raw materials, which was confirmed by the Oeko-tex standard 100 certificate, to which all products are subject. Galeb's protective masks can be used multiple times and are washable at 95 degrees celsius, and on top…

Coronavirus is taking public health and the global economy by storm and spreading mercilessly, causing a previously unthinkable amount of problems for both people and businesses, and the costs will just keep on adding up for months to come, but it isn't all so bleak for one Sisak company. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 19th of March, 2020, although the extent of the damage this situation will cause to the economy can for the moment only be estimated, there are also companies that are unlikely to even feel the effects of the coronavirus crisis, but will actually experience…

March 19, 2020 - The homemade production of protective masks on Hvar has begun! And Udruga TRIM is looking for volunteers with sewing skills to increase production.  One of the positive things to observe in this time of great crisis is the sense of solidarity and community, as people come together for the common good. Croatians always come together in times of adversity, and that sense of community is one of the best things about living here. People are helping in the ways that they are able and know how, and one such example are the fabulous ladies from Udruga…

March 19, 2020 - Azithromycin is an antibiotic drug, discovered by the scientists working for Pliva Pharmaceutical company in 1980. 40 years later there are some indications it might be very useful in a fight against the current health crisis, the Covid-19 virus. Yesterday, while scrolling aimlessly through my Twitter feed, I stumbled upon a tweet by a scientist I follow: This is my plot of the latest data of the French trial on the use of plaquenil and azithromicin against #COVID19. The numbers are very small but still encouraging to see after 6 days 6/6 successfully treated versus 2/16…