ZAGREB, 30 Dec 2021 - Croatia has registered 5,958 new coronavirus cases and 27 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Thursday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 25,521. Among them are 1,858 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 239 who are on ventilators, and 17,722 persons are self-isolating.

A total of 3,743,534 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to date, including 14,209 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 709,678 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 12,493 have died and 671,664  have recovered, including 2,760 in the last 24 hours.

As of 29 December, 4,708,957 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.62 percent of the total population, or 66.27 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,257,261 people have received at least one dose and 2,137,145 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 62.90 percent of the adult population.

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December 21, 2021 - Mayor Tomislav Tomašević and his associates opened a separate post-COVID polyclinic of the Special Hospital for Lung Diseases in front of the Health Center Zagreb - East. He also referred to the new cable car and epidemiological measures for the New Year celebrations in a subsequent press conference.

Announced a few months ago and finally opened today by Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, the new polyclinic will focus on providing treatment to patients who have recovered from COVID and have physiological sequelae from contracting the virus, Večernji List reports.

''As more than a few hundred thousand people in Croatia have already contracted COVID, there is a need to treat people who feel the consequences of this infection. Most people in Zagreb had COVID, so I welcome the City's move and the efforts to open this clinic'', says Krešimir Luetić, President of the Croatian Medical Chamber. ''Not only is Zagreb struggling with treatment, but also with the rehabilitation of people facing the infection'', Tomislav Tomašević said.

''This is just one of the steps we will take to take care of these patients. The facility has handled more than 2,500 post COVID patients, an incredible number. I thank all the health workers who made superhuman efforts and I hope that we will finally welcome the end of this pandemic'', said the mayor. ''The polyclinic has already started working and treats about ten patients a day, and specialist diagnostics will soon start, which will treat about twenty patients a day'', added Luetić.

"These are mostly patients with lung problems, but there are also those with cardiovascular problems," he said. Asked why Croatia is at the top of the list of seriously ill and mortal, Luetić said that the most likely reason was the low vaccination rate. He also called on the citizens to get vaccinated and receive a booster dose.

''The medicine we are talking about is intended for the acutely ill. He will certainly help some of the sick, but it is not the way we will be able to cure all the infected'', says Luetić. A regular press conference followed. Asked about putting the cable car into operation, Tomašević said the legal framework was changing to obtain the necessary permits.

''If it's January, it'll be fine. The sooner it opens, the better for the City’s revenue. As far as ticket prices are concerned, we have elected a new president of the ZET board, and we will inform the public about the prices and the system soon'', he stated. Tomislav Tomašević was also asked about New Year's Eve as it will be, probably on Jelačić Square, where he will be able to do a certain part with COVID certificates. The program is nearing completion, and will soon be released.

''It will be, I believe, extended shortly after midnight. It depends on the measures of the Headquarters'', he said.

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ZAGREB, 20 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 2,208 tests conducted for coronavirus in Croatia, 16.7% (367) have returned positive, and another 62 COVID patients have died, raising the COVID-related death toll to 12,043, Croatia's COVID crisis management team reported on Monday.

There are currently 19,570 active cases of infection in the country, and of them, 2,178 are hospitalized patients, including 268 placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of infection with the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, 675,730 people have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and of them, 644,117 have recovered to date, including 3,341 in the last 24 hours.

So far, 2,242,791 residents have got vaccinated and the rate of fully vaccinated adults stands at 61.59%.

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ZAGREB, 17 Dec 2021 - Croatia has registered 3,778 new coronavirus cases and 54 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Friday.

Currently, there are 23,931 active cases in the country. Among them are 2,188 infected persons receiving hospital treatment and 288 of them are on ventilators. A total of 23,619 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first infection with the SARS CoV-2 virus was confirmed in the country, 669,940 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 11,879 have died and 634,130 have recovered, including 3,875 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,627,745 persons have been tested to date, including 11,870 in the last 24 hours.

As of Thursday, 4,490,656 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.15 per cent of the total population, or 65.74 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,237,974 people have received at least one dose and 2,073,410 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 61.1 per cent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 11,713 tests conducted for coronavirus in Croatia, 3,765 (32%) have turned out to be positive, and 46 more COVID patients have died, raising the death toll to 11,825, the country's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

Currently, there are 24,082 active cases of the infection in Croatia, with 2,253 of them in hospital, including 286 patients placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, 666,162 people have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and of them, 630,255 have recovered so far, including 3,346 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

During the vaccine rollout plan, 2,235,161 persons have been given at least a jab, and 60.85% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

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ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - If Croatia does not prepare for the fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the infectious disease is likely to claim several thousand more lives, academician Ivan Đikić, a Croatian scientist who works in Germany, said in a letter to PM Andrej Plenković and Health Minister Vili Beroš on Thursday.

Calling on the government to acquaint the public with its future strategy, Đikić expressed concern about the gravity of the situation and the danger of a fifth wave of the pandemic that could claim a large number of lives in Croatia.

Đikić said that he received on a daily basis queries from concerned citizens who wonder how they should behave in the current situation, who should get a booster dose, if the booster dose protects against the Omicron variant, which tests are safe, etc.

50 COVID-related deaths a day very high figure

It is a fact that Croatia is close to the top of the EU ranking in terms of the number of coronavirus deaths per million people during the fourth wave, and this sounds the alarm and calls for urgent preventive action, he said.

"Around 50 people die of COVID-19 in Croatia on a daily basis, which is a very high figure. If we do not prepare early enough for the fifth wave, we are set to lose several thousand more citizens during the fifth wave," he said, calling on the PM and the health minister to present accurate data and risks related to the Omicron variant and inform citizens about the government's future strategy.

Omicron dangerous variant, booster dose contributes to protection against it

Noting that the Omicron variant is a dangerous variant, two to three times more contagious than the Delta variant, Đikić called on Plenković and Beroš to ensure fast detection and monitoring of the Omicron variant, present a strategy to prevent the fifth wave of the pandemic, and encourage all citizens above 18 to get a booster dose.

Currently available data shows that additional vaccination has a significant positive effect and contributes to protection also against the Omicron variant, Đikić said, calling for launching a more serious vaccination campaign so as to achieve a significant level of collective protection and prevent excessive pressure on hospitals and fatalities.

He also said the Health Ministry should provide accurate and clear information on testing for coronavirus, describing as wrong messages that suggest citizens should get tested for cellular immunity as the best indicator of whether one should get a booster dose.

According to available data, a cellular immunity test based on which an official decision would be made on additional vaccination has not been approved anywhere in the world, he said, but added that there have been cases of citizens testing positive for cellular immunity and being advised not to get a booster dose after which they contracted the disease.

Đikić also called on the government not to allow profiteering related to coronavirus tests, warning that wrongly interpreted COVID tests can lead citizens to believe that they are protected even though they are not, thus causing the already complex epidemiological situation to worsen.

Warning of numerous cases of scientifically unfounded statements in the media, made by individual scientists, including members of the government's scientific council, "to which neither the Health Ministry nor the government had reacted timely", Đikić said that this caused unnecessary damage and undermined citizens' trust in state institutions.

"Respond competently, clearly, and timely to scientifically unfounded statements in the media," he said.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - So far, eight cases of the infection with the omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia, and four have been in Zagreb and another four in Split, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday.

Roughly 200 samples have been sent to the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for sequencing, and we will soon get information whether there are more and more cases of the infection with the latest variant of the virus, Beroš said.

He said that since 16 November, when the COVID certificate mandate was introduced in the public sector, 681,309 tests have been conducted for that purpose and have revealed that 9,814 asymptomatic persons have caught coronavirus. Placing them in self-isolation has prevented the further spread of the virus, Beroš explained.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that he had not been informed whether today's protest of opponents of COVID certificates and vaccines in St. Mark's Square had been organized in line with the relevant legislation.

Our position is that protests against strict rules in Croatia miss the point as Croatia has balanced and less restrictive anti-epidemic rules in comparison to other EU member-states, Božinović said.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - The decline in the coronavirus numbers in Croatia has been at a slower pace this week, and the country's COVID-19 crisis management team on Wednesday decided to extend the existing anti-epidemic rules until 31 December.

Health Minister Vili Beroš informed the government today that in the last 24 hours there had been 4,671 new cases of the infection with coronavirus, only 80 cases fewer than a week ago, and that hospitals continued to run at full capacity.

In the last 24 hours, the share of positive tests has reached 38.86%, or 1.7 percentage points less than a week before.

Hospitals are treating 2,253 persons infected with the novel virus, down by 7.51% compared to the figures presented last Wednesday.

Currently, 315 patients are placed on ventilators.

The minister said that the authorities were monitoring the situation concerning the appearance of the omicron variant of the virus.

Croatia is included in the European Commission's plans for the procurement of antivirus drugs, the minister said adding that 1,800 doses of medicines based on monoclonal antibodies for hospital treatment of severe symptoms of COVID-19 should be delivered to Croatia until 20 December.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, the COVID disease has taken 57 lives in Croatia, raising the death toll to 11,779, and there have been 4,671 new cases of the infection, Croatia's authorities reported on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 23,709 infected people throughout Croatia, and of them 2,256 are receiving hospital treatment, including 306 placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in the country on 25 February 2020, 662,397 people have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and of them, 626,909 have recovered, including 2,301 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Under the vaccine rollout plan, 55.01% of the total population have tog vaccinated to date, and 60.58% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

8 omicron cases so far

So far, eight cases of the infection with the omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia, and four have been in Zagreb and another four in Split, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday.

Roughly 200 samples have been sent to the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for sequencing, and we will soon get information whether there are more and more cases of the infection with the latest variant of the virus, Beroš said.

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ZAGREB, 14 Dec 2021 - Croatia has registered 3,071 new coronavirus cases and 56 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Tuesday.

Currently, there are 21,396 active cases in the country. Among them are 2,253 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, 315 of whom are on ventilators, and 18,937 people are self-isolating.

Compared with last Tuesday, the number of new cases decreased by 191 and the number of deaths fell by four cases.

To date, 657,726 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS CoV-2 virus, of whom 11,722 have died and 624,608 have recovered, including 3,200 in the last 24 hours.

As of Monday, 4,406,837 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.94 percent of the total population, or 65.51 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated.  A total of 2,229,626 people have received at least one dose and 2,046,615 have been fully vaccinated, which is 60.33 percent of the adult population.

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