ZAGREB, 11 February, 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Thursday that owing to the favourable epidemiological situation, hospitalisations at Zagreb's KB Dubrava were decreasing and the number of beds in intensive care for COVID-19 patients was reduced.
Consequently, the need for medical staff has also decreased and conditions have been met for those temporarily assigned to KB Dubrava to return to their hospitals, he said at a cabinet meeting.
The Health Ministry has launched a series of activities to care for post-COVID patients, including the establishment of an expert commission for the treatment of patients with pathologies resulting from COVID-19, Beroš said.
The commission's task is to draft guidelines for treatment, care, prevention of all COVID consequences and the organisation of post-COVID inpatient and outpatient capacities, with emphasis on respiratory rehabilitation, psychological and psychiatric support.
As for vaccination, 107,080 doses were administered by 10 February, with 44,344 people receiving the second shot, including 54,483 doses administered in hospitals, 41,544 in care homes and 6,418 in earthquake-hit Sisak-Moslavina County.
"The second vaccination stage has begun and 4,635 doses have been administered, primarily to people with chronic conditions and older people," Beroš said.
By 10 February, Croatia received 156,450 doses - 122,850 of Pfizer's, 16,800 of Moderna's and 16,800 of AstraZeneca's vaccines. Suspected side effects have been reported 699 times, mainly mild and passing reactions.
Beroš said that according to the Croatian Institute of Public Health, there was no upper age limit for the AstraZeneca vaccine, reiterating that all three vaccines were safe and highly successful in preventing serious illness.
Speaking of the British virus mutation, he said Croatia was developing its own sequencing capacities and that it had agreed to send 200 samples weekly to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, with the first 200 sent yesterday.
"With certain oscillations, the number of new infections is falling by the week. We are monitoring the evolution of fast-spreading variants. They are the reason for increased caution. They are a new threat but we have the chance to be proactive," Beroš said, adding that vaccination and complying with the measures were the tools for success.
Today is World Day of the Sick which has special significance in the context of the epidemic and special emphasis has been put on emotional support to those who are sick, he said, thanking medical staff for their dedicated work.
