ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Thursday that statements by individuals about the deterioration of the health system were not true and that all COVID and non-COVID patients were being taken care of without delay.

"I wish to appeal to the media that statements by individuals about the deterioration of the health system are simply not true. Indeed, large resources are being redirected towards the treatment of COVID patients, which could have been avoided by timely vaccination. However, all COVID and non-COVID patients are being taken care of without delay," Beroš told a cabinet meeting.

National COVID-19 response team considering a possible new set of measures

The head of the national COVID-19 response team, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, said that they were considering a possible new set of measures to contain the spread of the virus. He said that interdepartmental talks were ongoing and that the public would be informed of any new measures in due course.

Beroš said that today's number of 6,310 new cases in Croatia was by far the largest daily number recorded to date.

"The causes of this surge lie in ourselves alone, in our refusal to comply with the basic epidemiological measures, and in our insufficient awareness of the benefits of vaccination," Beroš said.

7 in 10 new cases and 8 in 10 patients on ventilators unvaccinated

He said that the test positivity rate was 43.90 percent, and 233 infected people had been hospitalized in the 24 hours alone. In the past week, of the total number of new cases, 72.8 percent were not vaccinated, and 77.2 percent of the patients on ventilators were not vaccinated, he warned.

"However, the newly-awakened interest among citizens in getting vaccinated is encouraging. As many as 14,379 persons were vaccinated yesterday, the largest number in a single day to date," the health minister said.

Beroš said that 29,627 people had so far received a booster shot against COVID-19, adding that three percent of children aged 12-14 and 18.6 percent of young people aged 15-19 had been vaccinated to date.

"Insufficient compliance with the epidemiological measures and refusal to get vaccinated are the main causes of the rapid spread of the virus. We are seeing consequences at all levels of the health system," Beroš warned and once again appealed to citizens to get vaccinated.

He said that the ministry had instructed local coronavirus response teams to ensure additional capacities for medical treatment in their counties.

Božinović said that 11,578 inspections had been carried out in the past week to check compliance with the epidemiological measures. He said that the irregularities mostly concerned the provision of catering services after midnight and failure to wear face masks and maintain a physical distance in enclosed spaces. He said that 27 infringement notices, 176 written warnings, 14 oral warnings, and 17 fines had been issued in that regard.

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ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - After Croatia saw a record high daily number of new coronavirus cases, GLAS parliamentary deputy Anka Mrak Taritaš on Thursday called on the government to ramp up the vaccination campaign, saying it was high time for restrictions to be imposed on the unvaccinated.

"The campaign should be further intensified, but that will not suffice. Now is the right time to tell people that they cannot get to work or to cafes and restaurants and shops if they are not vaccinated."

She criticized the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the government for being lenient and failing to take serious steps to encourage people to get vaccinated.

"By next spring we will have the same number of COVID fatalities as the deaths in the Homeland War. Our COVID-19 fatality rate is among the highest in the world," Mrak Taritaš said.

Andreja Marić of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) also called for better immunization.

"People, get vaccinated, trust your doctors and experts," she said, accusing the government and the COVID-19 crisis management team of not doing their job well.

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ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said on Thursday that closing schools will not contribute to stopping the virus from spreading, underscoring that only an adequate vaccination rate can help achieve that.

"I will repeat for the 155th time, closing schools will not contribute to stopping this situation God knows to any extent. That can only be done with vaccination," Minister Fuchs told reporters after a ceremony at which Law School of the Unversity of Zagreb marked its day.

If not enough citizens are vaccinated, underscored Fuchs, "we will continue to have reservoirs that will keep generating the virus from the unvaccinated population."

Fuchs believes that there is no need to adopt any special measures in the education system for the time being. "We can exchange opinions about that and will reach an agreement with the COVID-19 crisis response team related to perhaps ramping up the obligation of wearing masks in schools but at the moment we will remain as it is and I think that is good," said Fuchs.

As far as universities are concerned they have had a different set of epidemiological measures from the start as recommended by the Croatian Institute for Public Health (HZJZ). They can organize lectures as they think best.

Last year some subjects were taught exclusively online, "but that certainly isn't the solution."

"They are students and there is no obstacle for them to be vaccinated and universities will adopt the necessary measures. They may even apply a model of COVID certificates and testing," said Fuchs.

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ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - As of Monday, November 8, primary and secondary schools in Zagreb will go back to face-to-face classes, the city's education office said on Thursday. 

In case the epidemiological situation in a school worsens, the city office will, in cooperation with the "Andrija Štampar" Teaching Institute for Public Health, consider switching to online classes.

The city office for education said this decision was made in line with a conclusion of the city's COVID-19 response team of November 4.

This week, after All Saints' Day, schools have been holding online classes.

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ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - This year, Croatia's tourist industry has achieved excellent results, however, the fact that Croatia is currently red on the ECDC map could adversely affect preparations for the next season, Tourism Ministry State Secretary Tonči Glavina told the parliament on Thursday.

"This year's tourist turnover has reached about 75% of the turnover in the record-high year 2019. We are preparing for the next tourist season, however, the fact that we are red on the ECDC epidemiological map causes concern," Glavina said during a discussion on amending legislation regulating the hospitality industry.

He explained that preparations and bookings for organized tourism are made in winter and that therefore all should do their best to improve Croatia's epidemiological situation.

Concerning the draft amendments, he said that they would extend the validity of temporary permits for the legalization of properties and premises for hospitality businesses until 31 December 2024.

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ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - There have been 6,310 new coronavirus infections in Croatia in the past 24 hours, which is the highest daily number of new cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic, Croatian Television said on Thursday, citing unofficial reports.

On Wednesday Croatia logged 4,573 new infections and 41 related fatalities.

The number of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients has been increasing as well. On Thursday 1,643 patients needed hospital care, including 198 who were on ventilators.

Official data on the number of infections and deaths are expected to be released later in the day.

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ZAGREB, 1 Nov 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 1,126 new cases of coronavirus infection and 31 related deaths, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Monday.

The number of active cases today stands at 22,884, including 1,496 COVID patients in hospitals, 183 of whom are on ventilators.

There are currently 29,240 people in self-isolation.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection, a total of 471,474 people have been registered as having contracted the novel coronavirus, 9,251 of them have died, while 439,339 have recovered, including 3,349 who have recovered in the past 24 hours.

To date, a total of 3,110,312 people have been tested, 3,567 of whom over the past 24 hours.

As of 31 October, a total of 3,616,491 vaccine doses have been administered, and 47.11% of the total population, that is 56.42% of the adult population, has been vaccinated.

A total of 1,911,657 people have received at least one shot, while 1,798,069 people have been fully vaccinated, which is 53.18% of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 31 Oct. 2021 - The Croatian Association of Hospital Doctors (HUBOL) warned on Sunday that the situation in hospitals treating COVID-19 patients was difficult as more and more arrive every day because, it said, the virus is allowed to spread and those in charge are doing nothing about it, shirking responsibility.

The healthcare system is disappearing, HUBOL said in a press release.

The system does not exist when COVID-19 patients wait for hours to be admitted because there is no room, it does not exist when we don't have enough anesthesiologists, infectious disease specialists and internists who know how to treat people with destroyed lungs, it does not exist when you need a connection to get a bed supplied with oxygen as soon as possible, HUBOL said.

The system does not exist when patients will be treated for complications by a surgeon, gynecologist or other such doctor, and when those who decide if the system is overloaded get services with one call to the hospital administration, HUBOL said. "They and their relatives, friends and acquaintances don't wait in lines."

While those in charge "are doing nothing... the increasingly tired people who make up the healthcare system will soon have to stop with operations and examinations for other diseases because they are on COVID wards," HUBOL said.

They are there "because the virus is being allowed to spread," and in those wards "one will soon have to decide which patient to put in a bed with oxygen or a ventilator."

"The virus is spreading as much as we allow it to, the president of the epidemiological society said recently. Those whose responsibility it is to stop the virus from spreading among the population, with all the procedures and measures necessary (as in Denmark, for instance), inform us every day in a sedating voice about the increasing numbers of hospitalisations and deaths, washing their hands of their responsibility and reason for existing," HUBOL said.

"After all, only people in the Balkans, not some 'stupid' Danes, can allow such spreading of the virus and numbers of hospitalisations and deaths."

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ZAGREB, 31 Oct, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours Croatia has registered 3,319 new cases of the coronavirus infection, as well as 22 related deaths, and the number of active cases today stands at 25,138.

There are currently 1,418 COVID patients in hospitals, 170 of whom are on ventilators, and 32,398 people are self-isolating.

To date, a total of 3,106,745 people have been tested, including 8,717 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,615,769 vaccine doses have been administered, and 47.10% of the total population or 56.41% of the adult population has been vaccinated.

As at 30 October, 1,911,239 people have received at least one shot, and 1,797,683 people have been fully vaccinated, which accounts for 53.17% of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 30 Oct, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has registered 4,547 new coronavirus cases and 30 patients have died, the national coronavirus crisis management team said on Saturday.

There are currently 25,153 active cases, including 1,330 hospitalised patients, of whom 175 are on ventilators.

Currently 34,838 people are self-isolating.

Since the first registered case of the infection on 25 February 2020, a total of 467,029 people have become infected and of them, 9,198 have died.

A total of 432,678 people have recovered, including 3,115 in the last 24 hours.

So far a total of 3,098,082 people have been tested, including 12,203 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,610,412 vaccine doses have been administered, with 47.03% of the total population having been vaccinated, that is, 56.33% of the adult population.

A total of 1,908,486 people have been vaccinated with one shot and 1,795,287 have received both shots, while 113,899 have received the single-dose Jannsen vaccine, which is 53.10% of the adult population.

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