ZAGREB, 15 March, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that a coordinated stance by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine should be known tomorrow, after several countries have temporarily suspended administering the vaccine due to the emergence of certain side effects.

"Our stance is that a sound test has to be conducted to determine if there are any reasons, based on the findings so far, for Croatia also to go in that direction. From what the experts are telling me, there are no such indications for the time being. Tomorrow, we will probably see a coordinated stance by EMA, which as far as I understand, will proceed cautiously, that is, continue testing the vaccine itself and continue with consultations with the company regarding any possible consequences of the vaccination," Plenković said ahead of a joint meeting of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Presidency and National Council.

He added that the director of Croatia's HALMED drug regulator, Siniša Tomić, today participated in EMA meetings which discussed what to do next considering the emergence of several side effects that have been reported throughout Europe.

In reference to the procurement of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, Plenković said that Croatia would wait for it to be approved and that the EMA had launched the relevant procedure. In the meantime, we will obtain additional information and test the vaccine, he added.

Asked who made the decision on how many doses of a vaccine Croatia would order, Plenković said that the procurement of vaccines was launched in the summer before reports that AstraZeneca had had certain problems with clinical trials.

"The vaccine that at the time was way ahead in terms of testing and the fact that it could be finished and its approval sought was AstraZeneca's and we, like the majority of other countries, immediately ordered the largest quantity of that vaccine. Then we ordered the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Croatia ordered a total of 8.7 million doses," said Plenković, adding that no one could have known that problems would emerge in vaccine production when the initial orders were made.

Asked whether anyone would be held responsible for the poor estimate in procuring vaccines, he said that for the entire time the aim had been to protect citizens, which was why more doses had been ordered than Croatia needed.

"The problem has emerged because one company, from which we ordered the biggest quantity... now has a problem in delivering the vaccine to the entire European Union. If that problem didn't exist, the rate of inoculation in Croatia would be very high," he explained.

Asked why Croatia didn't order the largest quantity of the Pfizer vaccine, which was the option many countries used, he said that only a few countries did that and that Croatia's decision was based on an expert opinion at the time.

"Croatia has a population of four million people and can immunise a maximum 3.4 million, and how could it justify buying 20 million doses?" "We did everything that was logical and correct based on the information that was available at the time and as time is moving on, we are looking for other solutions, just like everyone else," he said.

He added that it was necessary to find a corrective mechanism to redistribute the vaccines.

As far as continuing inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Croatia is concerned, Plenković said that the experts would decide on that. "As far as I understand, EMA's stance is that when the risk and benefits are taken into account, at the moment it is better to be vaccinated," said Plenković.

With regard to the European initiative for a vaccination certificate, Plenković said that the European Commission would release its proposal on Wednesday and that that would enable free movement and the tourism season.

For more about vaccinations in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 16 March, 2021 - Croatia has registered 691 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours while 12 people have died as a consequence, and currently there are 4,475 active cases in the country, the national COVID-19 response team reported on Tuesday. 

Of the total number of active cases, 858 are hospitalised patients, 78 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of COVID-19 was registered in Croatia, a total of 251,865 people have been affected with the virus.

The death toll in that period has reached 5,697 while 241,693 people have recovered, 546 of whom have recovered in the past 24 hours.

There are currently 17,271 people in self-isolation.

A total of 1,438,689 tests have been conducted to date, including 7,347 in the past 24 hours.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 15 March, 2021 - The number of new coronavirus cases in Croatia has increased by 28.8% on a weekly level as steps are being taken to ensure a fairer distribution of vaccines at EU level, the national coronavirus response team told a press conference on Monday.

"In the past week have had 4,566 new cases, with the weekly number of cases increasing by 28.8%. The incidence rate is 198.4, the lowest being in Istria and the highest in the Dubrovnik area," Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) director Krunoslav Capak said.

Increasing presence of the British variant

The results of sequencing of 355 samples have shown that the British variant of the coronavirus was found in 204 samples, the Czech variant was detected in 45 samples and the South African variant in four. Two people infected with the South African variant were travelling from Mexico to Croatia via Turkey, and two persons have been infected in Croatia.

As for vaccination against COVID-19, Capak said that initial talks had been conducted with a Chinese pharmaceutical company and that more information about the Chinese vaccine and results of clinical studies would be made available in subsequent stages of the talks.

Capak said that Pfizer was expected to deliver 23,000 doses of its vaccine weekly this month, while AstraZenica was to have delivered a million doses in the first quarter of the year, but failed to do so.

"While other countries ordered the maximum number of doses from manufacturers, we did not and that's why we have a shortfall. We are taking steps to ensure a fairer distribution or a correction for those who have been short-changed by AstraZeneca," he said.

As for vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the HZJZ estimates that fewer than 30% of people in Croatia have refused this vaccine, contrary to media reports, Capak said.

EU legislation must be complied with in vaccine procurement

Health Minister Vili Beroš said that Croatia did not want to close its door to alternative ways of vaccine procurement, including the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, but stressed that EU legislation must be complied with.

"If EMA (the European Medicines Agency) refuses the Russian vaccine, I doubt that anyone, even HALMED (the Croatian Agency for Medicines and Medicinal Products), will decide otherwise. ... We are awaiting EMA's reply to the letter from our prime minister," Beroš said.

Speaking of problems with the AstraZeneca vaccine, Beroš cited a World Health Organisation report saying that over 280 million people across the globe have been administered this vaccine and that there are no indicators suggesting that this vaccine is responsible for severe disorders or deaths.

As for thromboembolic incidents, Beroš said that nine patients with thrombosis or pulmonary embolism are hospitalised in Croatia daily and many of them die. "There can be a connection between such cases and vaccination, but it is important that medical professionals set clear criteria in ruling out or confirming the connection between vaccination and an unwanted event."

Increased vaccine deliveries announced

The head of the national coronavirus response team, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, said that all EU member states were dissatisfied with the pace of vaccine delivery, adding that optimistic news was coming from Brussels about resumption of AstraZeneca vaccine deliveries. In addition, Pfizer has increased production of its vaccine, which will improve countries' vaccine supplies, he added.

Božinović dismissed speculation that Croatia would have been better off had it entered into direct negotiations with vaccine manufacturers, bypassing the European Commission. "All member states have authorised the Commission to negotiate, and I think that's the only right way."

He said he was confident that the Commission would emerge from this difficult situation with new experience because the health policy was not part of the EU's integrated policy. It has turned out that only with a common, solidarity-based approach can the EU deal with the pandemic, he noted.

Božinović said that the EU was gathering information about the capacity of each member state for vaccine production, stressing the need for investment in public healthcare, science and research.

"The manufacture and delivery of vaccines should be stepped up, and the world should not be taken by surprise by an outbreak of a new pandemic in the future," Božinović said.

Substantial decline in mortality among elderly people after vaccination

The director of Zagreb's Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Alemka Markotić, underlined the importance of vaccination for elderly people, saying that a substantial decline in COVID-19-related deaths among elderly people after vaccination had been observed across the EU.

ZAGREB, 14 March 2021 - In the past 24 hours 561 new coronavirus cases and seven COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID response team said on Sunday.

There are currently 4,804 active cases, including 855 hospitalised patients, of whom 72 are on ventilators, and 18,511 people are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 251,045 coronavirus cases to date, 5,677 COVID deaths and 240,564 recoveries, including 542 in the past 24 hours.

To date 1,428,779 people have been tested for the virus, including 6,221 in the past 24 hours.

To read more about Coronavirus in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 13 March 2021 - The head of Croatia's Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Services (HALMED), Siniša Tomić, said on Saturday that according to preliminary data he did not believe that there was a connection between the death of a 91-year-old woman and her inoculation with AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID.

The HALMED regulator and the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) are supposed to adopt their joint conclusion on this matter next week; he told the national broadcaster HTV on Saturday evening.

HALMED is looking into a 7 March report of a fatal pulmonary embolism in the 91-year-old woman three days after receiving a shot of AstraZeneca.

According to Tomić, this case will also be on the agenda of the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Tomić said that to date, 14 reports had been submitted in Croatia about side effects with death outcome after inoculations against coronavirus. In nine cases, the reports were sent after the inoculation with the Pfizer vaccine and in five with AstraZeneca.

In six cases, it has been ruled out that the death might be associated with inoculation. In two cases, this relationship does not seem probable, and in another six cases, the authorities are waiting for more supporting documents.

To read more about Coronavirus in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 13 March 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Saturday that it was good that his cabinet made it possible for cultural institutions to keep open their doors during the COVID pandemic.

While visiting the exhibition about Croatian comic strips in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) in Zagreb, Plenković said that in the circumstances marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Croatian government had on purpose kept cultural institutions open.

This was beneficial to visitor numbers and eventually to the financial operations of this museum, said Plenković during his visit to the Zagreb-based MSU.

This has been also a contribution to having as normal life as possible despite the circumstances, he said and added that museums and cultural institutions across Europe have been or are still closed.

During the tour of the exhibition, Plenković recalled that some of Croatian comic strip authors gained international reputation.

The MSU says on its web site that the exhibition To Be Continued… Comics and visual culture in Croatia "sets the so-called Ninth Art of comic strips, cartoons and graphic storytelling in its European and international context, bringing together its history, evolution, and canonical authors."

"The exhibition examines the way in which perceptions of comics have changed over time, the role of comics in shaping popular and mass culture, and the professional and personal networks within which comics are created and find their way to the audience."

The exhibition, opened in mid-December, closes on Sunday, 14 March.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 13 March 2021 - Croatia has ordered "more than enough" COVID-19 vaccines via the European Commission's centralised system but is faced with late deliveries because manufacturers are not honouring what has been signed, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has told France 24.

He was speaking for "Talking Europe", a programme on French national television, while visiting Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

"We ordered more than enough, but the vaccines are distributed pro rata, that is how much vaccine you ordered from which company."

He said he came to Brussels because Croatia was faced with late deliveries. "That's the main reason I'm here... I insist that what we signed, what we ordered, be delivered."

"I talked about it with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her team. We ordered the vaccine via the centralised system set up by the Commission."

Regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine, Plenković agreed with Rome's decision to block a delivery of 250,000 doses to Australia. He said he supported the Italian authorities' move to send "a concrete signal" to AstraZeneca that "it must honour what has been signed."

That is in no way against Australia, but it's necessary to remind companies that they must adhere to signed agreements, he added.

Since Croatia has vaccinated only 5% of its population and has, alongside France, one of the lowest vaccination rates in the EU, he was asked if he was willing, like Hungary, to buy the Russian vaccine without the approval of the European Medicines Agency.

"Every government must approach with the utmost caution matters concerning public health, people's safety and vaccination. The EMA and the Croatian medicines agency are filters, and experts must help governments make wise decisions. To me as prime minister, public health and the safety and protection of our citizens will always come first."

Regarding the suspension of vaccination with AstraZeneca in a number of European countries due to allegedly serious side effects, including blood clots, Plenković said no such cases had been registered in Croatia.

"We haven't noticed any of the side effects after the administration of AstraZeneca/Oxford that may have occurred in other countries. On the contrary, we believed from the start that this vaccine is good also for our citizens older than 65," he said.

"At this moment, according to the information we have, we have neither reason nor grounds to apply that measure and will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine," he added.

Speaking of the Commission's proposal to introduce so-called COVID passports, whereby travellers would certify that they are vaccinated or have a negative PCR test, Plenković said it could be part of a strategy to bring tourists back to Croatia.

He said "it could serve as an aid to enable free travel. That's something we should consider."

To read more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 13 March 2021- In the past 24 hours 823 new coronavirus cases and 23 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID response team said on Saturday.

The number of active cases is 4,792, including 805 hospitalised patients, 69 of whom are on ventilators, and 18,618 people are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 250,484 coronavirus cases to date as well as 5,670 COVID deaths and 240,022 recoveries, including 530 in the past 24 hours.

To date 1,422,558 people have been tested for the virus, including 6,230 in the past 24 hours.

To read more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 13 March 2021 - Despite being more numerous in healthcare, women are not equal in managerial positions and the pandemic has only increased this gap, panels on women and the pandemic, organised by the European Parliament's Croatian office, heard on Friday.

The two panels discussed the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the progress achieved in the fight for gender equality and women's preparedness for a prompt response in crisis management.

The head of the office, Violeta Simeonova Staničić, recalled that in January the European Parliament passed a resolution on gender prospects during and after the pandemic crisis.

The resolution identifies the pandemic's many negative affects on equality, from the rise in domestic violence to unpaid work and layoffs, she said, adding that the resolution contains recommendations to overcome those effects.

Dr. Marina Lampalo of the KBC Zagreb hospital said that although 67% of doctors in Croatia were women, they were not equal in management.

Dr. Vlasta Merc of Zagreb's Dubrava hospital remarked that "we have three men and only one woman" in the national COVID-19 response team.

MEP Željana Zovko (HDZ, EPP) said that at the start of her term, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisted on strictly respecting the women's quota but that when it came to management, "the equality target hasn't been achieved yet."

"We are fighting with every means available for women not to be just a service in the future, but absolutely represented in decision making on essential matters," she said, adding that it was essential "that women are protected from violence also in their homes."

The chair of the Croatian parliament's Gender Equality Committee, Marija Selak Raspudić, said women made up 30% of Croatian MPs and that one could not talk about a pay glass ceiling. But, she added, there is a lack of balance within the caucuses, notably in bigger parties, where men are given precedence in addressing the public.

She said men were more exposed to coronavirus because "it's not manly to take care of one's health, which has now landed in women's lap."

MEP Biljana Borzan (SDP, S&D), elected woman MEP of the year in women's rights in 2018, said she was for women's quotas but only for a time, until awareness was raised that women could hold key positions.

Speaking of a directive on women in management boards, she said, "It's been buried in the Council for years. We in the Parliament approved it, the Commission gave the green light, but there is resistance for adopting the directive at European Union level because some member states are against it."

Zagreb Stock Exchange president Ivana Gažić mentioned a European regulation on the women's share in the financial industry adopted after the 2008 crisis. "If financial institutions' management boards are balanced, they act much more cautiously and rationally."

Grozdana Perić, chair of the Croatian parliament's Finance and State Budget Committee, said that as a member of the Croatian National Bank Council she saw that more and more banks included women in management. "The financial crisis showed that men are bigger gamblers, while women want a certain stability and order."

Medeja Lončar, CEO at Siemens Croatia, said surveys showed that since the pandemic the gender equality index had deteriorated.

"It will take 50 years longer because of this crisis to balance relations. We must be more active. The responsibility is on us women, but men should be included too because if we don't talk, we'll never make a step further," she said.

For more news about Covid-19, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 12 March, 2021 - Croatia has a 26% weekly increase in the number of new coronavirus infections and most epidemiological restrictions will be extended until the end of March but outdoor sports competitions will be allowed, the national COVID-19 response team said on Friday.

Most existing epidemiological restrictions will remain in force.

One of the changes is that it will be possible to change the maximum allowed number of attendees at cultural events through recommendations by the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), without waiting for a decision by the national COVID-19 response team, and outdoor sports competitions will be allowed as well, the team's head, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, said.

Restrictions regarding gatherings, passenger transport, shops' working hours and border crossing will be extended until 31 March and a decision on that will take effect on 13 March, said Božinović.

As for decisions at the local level, restrictions will be extended in Dubrovnik-Neretva County while COVID-19 response teams in counties with a marked increase in the number of new infections will be expected to propose restrictions in line with the local situation.

Share of positive tests 13.8%; Inoculation with AstraZeneca vaccine continues

Croatia today reported 823 new infections of 5,945 tests conducted in the past 24 hours, the percentage of positive tests being 13.8%. The average age of those who have died is 77.5 years and the youngest person was 62, Assistant Health Minister Vera Katalinić-Janković said.

HZJZ head Krunoslav Capak warned that the number of new infections this week was 26% higher than last week.

"Istria County has the lowest incidence, and Dubrovnik-Neretva County the highest. As for the seven-day incidence, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is at the top, however, epidemiologists say that there are no major hot spots there but rather a lot of small hot spots due to socialising," said Capak.

He also pointed to an increase in the share of positive cases in the number of tests done, which today was 13.8%.

Commenting on reported side effects of the vaccines, he said most reports referred to the Pfizer vaccine, 898, followed by AstraZeneca's vaccine, 337, and Moderna's, 81.

Despite the fact that in some EU countries inoculation with AstraZeneca's vaccine has been suspended, Croatia will continue using the vaccine.

Capak said that the AstraZeneca vaccine Croatia obtained was not from the same series as that obtained by Austria and 15 other EU countries. Countries that have discontinued inoculation with that vaccine have done so until the reported side effects are investigated, he said.

"If it is established that the thromboembolisms reported are not related to the vaccine, countries that have suspended vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine will continue the vaccination process. Croatia did not receive that vaccine series... and will continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine," he said.

He also commented on an announcement that the deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be much smaller than agreed.

"We were to receive 19,200 doses in the third week of March and will receive 7,200. In the fourth week of March, we were to receive 79,568 doses and will receive 9,800," he said.

As for the vaccine of the US company Johnson & Johnson, Capak said that the vaccine will soon be registered in the EU but could not tell how many doses Croatia would obtain considering reports that the US government would first supply the US market with the agreed quantities and then start exports to other countries.

Asked about alternative vaccine imports, Capak said that the documentation requested from the Russian producer had still not arrived, which was a precondition to launch emergency imports.

Meanwhile, the Russian manufacturer has launched the process of registration of the vaccine with the European Medicines Agency and Capak said he believed the process would soon be completed and that Croatia would be able to import the vaccine normally.

As for the Chinese vaccine, not much information is known but the HZJZ today held an online meeting with its producers, Capak said, adding that he would inform the public of the meeting on Monday.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.