ZAGREB, July 18, 2020 - Of 1,338 COVID-19 tests completed in the last 24 hours, 116 have returned positive in Croatia, the country's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Saturday.

Currently, there are 1,204 active cases, including 139 patients who are being treated in hospitals. Of them, eight are placed on ventilators.

Since 25 February when Croatia reported its first confirmed case of infection with the novel coronavirus, a total of 4,253 people have tested positive. Of them, 120 have died and 2,929 have recovered.

Currently, 4,507 persons are in self-isolation.

So far, Croatia has conducted 102,189 tests.

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - A total of 98 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of active cases to 1,192, the national coronavirus response team said on Friday.

"Today, the 144th day since the appearance of the coronavirus in Croatia, 98 new cases have been registered in the last 24 hours, so that the current number of active cases is 1,192, or two more than yesterday," Health Minister Vili Beros told a press conference.

Since the start of the epidemic in the country in late February, the total number of people infected has reached 4,137 and 2,825 of them have recovered, which is 68.3 percent.

To date, 100,851 samples have been tested, including 1,437 in the last 24 hours. The rate of positive tests is 4.1 percent.

Currently, 137 people are receiving hospital treatment and seven of them are on ventilators, one more than on Thursday. There have been no fatalities in the last 24 hours, with the death toll remaining at 120.

The average age of the people infected with the virus is 47.16 years.

In the last 24 hours, 14 people have been discharged from hospitals, bringing their total to 994, while 1,871 have recovered at home, which is 76 more than on Thursday.

There are 87 active cases among health workers, five more than on Thursday, and 431 health workers are in self-isolation, 46 fewer than on Thursday.

ZAGREB, July 16, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours 86 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia, bringing the total of active cases to 1,190, and 74% of the new cases (64) are people in self-isolation, the national COVID-19 response team said on Thursday.

The number of cases since the first one was reported on February 25 has reached 4,039, Health Minister Vili Beros said at a press conference.

To date, 2,729 persons have recovered from the novel coronavirus, and over the past 24 hours, 934 patients have been discharged from the hospital. The number of people who have recovered at home has reached 1,795.

Currently, 136 patients are hospitalised, including four on ventilators.

The average age of patients is 47. There have been no deaths over the past 24 hours so the death toll stands at 120.

To date, 99,414 samples have been tested, including 1,690 over the past 24 hours. The percentage of positive ones has been 4.06.

There are 82 active cases among medical staff and 477 are self-isolating.

ZAGREB, July 16, 2020 - The government on Thursday amended its decision on developing a mobile application in support of contact tracing in the event of contagious diseases whereby it included the Health Ministry in this task.

Health Minister Vili Beros is authorised to conclude a contract with the APIS IT company on preparing a digital platform to trace and manage COVID-19 infections.

The funds in the amount of HRK 625,000 (€83,000) are ensured for the first stage of the development of the platform.

Specialists of the APIS IT,  the Croatian agency that provides services to the public and government sector in planning, development, and maintenance of their information systems, are working on the design of the Croatian version of a mobile application in support of contact tracing for COVID-19,  the Jutarnji List daily reported this past Saturday.

Contact tracing is perceived to be of particular significance as containment measures are lifted.

ZAGREB, July 16, 2020 - There are currently 1,204 people in Croatia diagnosed with coronavirus, and of them, 132 are receiving hospital treatment, including five on ventilators, Health Minister Vili Beros told the government on Thursday morning.

In recent weeks, 12 people have died (due to COVID-related complications), he said explaining that a majority of them had significant underlying health conditions or were patients of high age.

The percentage of tests returned positive is 4.05% and the median age of people diagnosed with this infection is 47 years.

Beros said that in the past week no new hot spot appeared, and all newly-diagnosed cases were from the hotspots identified before.

There are currently 23 clinics designated for suspect cases concerning the COVID-19 epidemic in all the 10 counties.

ZAGREB, July 14, 2020 - Everyone in the Ministry of Science and Education who was tested on Tuesday for the coronavirus has proved to be negative but they will remain in self-isolation until July 22 as a precautionary measure, Minister Blazenka Divjak posted on her Facebook profile.

"All of us in the ministry who were tested today are negative for the coronavirus," Divjak wrote and added that as a precautionary measure they would remain in self-isolation until July 22.

Epidemiologists will continue to determine contacts and prescribe measures for the ministry's employees if they deem that to be necessary, added Divjak.

Ministry officials were instructed today to self-isolate and urgently be tested for the coronavirus after the ministry state secretary tested positive.

Minister Divjak posted earlier that she is currently working from home and that all processes and preparations for the next school and academic year were continuing according to plan.

"There is no doubt that just like we managed to launch remote learning overnight, the ministry will manage to work remotely for just over a week. This is, after all, a peaceful transitional period," she wrote, calling on everyone to be responsible and cautious towards themselves and others.

Referring to unofficial sources, the media today reported that the ministry's state secretary had attended a wedding party in Zadar, where some people had previously been identified to have caught the coronavirus. After returning to Zagreb she did not undergo a test or go into self-isolation and in the meantime attended a staff meeting of the ministry's officials and other meetings.

ZAGREB, July 14, 2020 - Croatian Institute of Public Health director Krunoslav Capak said on Tuesday that if Education Minister Blazenka Divjak tested positive for coronavirus, the other government members would not have to self-isolate because they all wore masks at a meeting on Monday.

All Science and Education Ministry staff, including Divjak, were instructed by epidemiologists today to self-isolate and get tested because the ministry's state secretary Ivana Franic tested positive.

Yesterday Divjak and all ministers attended a meeting of the national council for the introduction of the euro chaired by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

"Divjak herself and other staff must self-isolate. Some have already been tested and the results will be known by evening," Capak said at a press conference of the national COVID-19 response team.

Asked if Franic had attended a wedding and breached self-isolation,, he said, "I know there was a big gathering, but I don't know if it was a wedding... I can't answer if their self-isolation was breached."

No increase in infections after the election

Capak said there had been no increase in coronavirus cases after the July 5 parliamentary election.

Capak: If Czech tourists have been infected here, we'll communicate that 

He said it had not been confirmed that the Czech tourists who claimed they were infected in Croatia were indeed infected here. If they were, we'll communicate that, he added.

Capak said a Serbian citizen was repatriated and that he was tested in Pula the day he arrived, and that a family who arrived from Sweden were infected in Sweden and were self-isolating in Pula.

He said an infected Macedonian family was in Zadar County and would stay there until they recovered, and that a positive British citizen was in Split but that it was not known where or when he was infected.

ZAGREB, July 14, 2020 - Over the past 24 hours 52 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Croatia, bringing the number of active cases up to 1,183, and one person has died, the national COVID-19 response team said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Health Minister Vili Beros said Croatia had registered 3,827 cases since the novel coronavirus appeared 141 days ago.

The latest fatality was a man in Zagreb, born in 1951, who had many underlying conditions but was not on a ventilator. Since the start of the epidemic, 120 persons have died.

Five patients are on ventilators, one more than on Monday, and 129 patients are hospitalised.

Over the past 24 hours, 11 patients have been discharged from hospital and 33 have recovered at home. There are 81 active cases among medical staff, seven more than on Monday, and 508 are self-isolating.

To date 95,920 persons have been tested, including 1,745 over the past 24 hours, and 4.03% of the samples have been positive. Men account for 48.41%.

ZAGREB, July 13, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros on Monday announced a lower cost of COVID-19 testing for people who wish to be tested on their own accord, adding that tests like PCR have a price because they provide quality while other tests are being developed for the general population.

Tests are free of charge when they are taken by suspected cases at the recommendation of professional medical staff due to medical indications.

"It is understandable that someone may wish to be tested for personal reasons, for example, to be certain and safe for their household. We will make that possible soon at many different prices than they were initially," Beros told a press conference, adding that more information in that regard could be expected by Wednesday or Thursday.

Forming prices involves the use of chemicals, reagents, human effort, and everything that is needed for test-taking.

Bozinovic: If a measure does not adhere to penalties will be applied

Asked how it will be possible to control whether masks are being worn, the head of the country's COVID response team, Davor Bozinovic said that some measures will be applied locally while others will apply to the entire country.

"We are taking into account that autumn could be when we are faced with greater challenges considering the spread of the coronavirus and perhaps even harsher symptoms. That is why we need to utilize this period to acquire habits that will be essential when the autumn comes," he said adding that these press conferences were aimed at educating the public.

"The basic approach is to inform the public. Penalties are not the point so much however we will have them and apply certain penalties if measures are not adopted but we hope it won't come to that," he added.

53 new COVID-19 cases in Croatia
In the past 24 hours, 53 new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia and currently, there are 1,145 active cases in the country without any new deaths, the National Civil Protection Authority informed on Monday.

There are currently 1,145 active cases, while 1,620 have fully recovered to date.

ZAGREB, July 13, 2020 - In the past 24 hours, 53 new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia and currently there are 1,145 active cases in the country without any new deaths, the National Civil Protection Authority informed on Monday.

Today it is 140 days since the first confirmed case of the coronavirus infection in Croatia and in the past 24 hours we identified 53 newly diagnosed cases, which brings the total number of positive cases to 3,775 since the outbreak of the epidemic, Health Minister Vili Beros told a press conference.

The average age of patients is 47.4 years. No one has died since yesterday and four patients are on ventilators while 132 are hospitalised.

There are currently 1,145 active cases, while 1,620 have fully recovered to date..

A total of 94,175 people have been tested for the virus.

Beros informed that technical glitches had appeared in recording new positive cases of the disease in Istria County. Today it is clear that that number is zero however Beros has called for a written explanation for Sunday's figures.

"It is clear and visible that we are continuing to live with the virus. It is still among us and we have to be cautious," said Beros.

Croatia's death toll to the virus stands at 119.