ZAGREB, November 6, 2021 - In the past 24 hours Croatia has registered 7,094 new coronavirus cases and 50 deaths, Koronavirus.hr reported on Saturday.

That is the highest number of new cases yet in one day since the outbreak of the pandemic. The record until now was 6,932, which was registered on Friday.

There are currently 31,689 active cases in the country, including 1,786 hospitalized patients, and 234 are on ventilators.

At the same time, there are 30,256 people self-isolating.

Since February 25, 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 497,168 people infected with the new coronavirus have been recorded so far, of whom 9,450 have died, a total of 456,029 have recovered, of which 3,896 in the last 24 hours.

To date, a total of 3,171,181 people have been tested, of which 15,498 in the last 24 hours.

As of November 5, 2021, 3,675,807 doses of vaccine were consumed, and 47.78% of the total population and 57.19% of the adult population were vaccinated. On November 5, 2021, 17,334 doses of vaccine were consumed, of which 8,819 persons were vaccinated with the first dose. 

As of November 5, 2021, 1,939,061 people were vaccinated with at least one dose, of which 1,816,377 people (1,696,577 people vaccinated with two doses and 119,800 people vaccinated with Jannsen) were vaccinated, which is 53.71% of the adult population.

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November 6, 2021 - ''We are not far from a situation when we will have to choose who will take a respirator'', warns pulmonologist Saša Srića, as he announces that many Croatian hospitals have already reached 90% percent of their capacity as the number of positive cases continues to grow.

Minister of Health Vili Beroš stated on Saturday that there are more than seven thousand newly infected with coronavirus in Croatia today, we are at the peak of the fourth wave, and that we do not know what awaits us.

Record numbers worried many, and pulmonologist Saša Srića, who was a guest on the show New Day on the H1 television station, also spoke on the subject, reports Net.hr.

A potentially catastrophic scenario

"It is a worrying situation that at the moment can, given the trends, represent a potentially catastrophic scenario. The measures that have been adopted are overdue. These measures that come into force, which from today, and again from 14 November, is a big step back. A lot of time will pass, I think it could have been faster.

I think that the measures are not adequate and should be extended to other sectors. The virus does not know the difference whether it is in schools, cafes, restaurants, shopping malls. The measures should have been much stricter", expressed Srića, and continued:

"Constant balancing and the system 'we will not resent anyone, let's be good to everyone' has cost us such situations, such epidemiological pictures. And what we need to fear the most, the overload of the health care system, is already present".

Pulmonologist Saša Srića (Photo: Robert Anic/PIXSELL)

"When we talk about the younger population, compared to previous waves, there is now a much larger number of the younger population. The delta strain attacks the younger population more for one reason: it is poorly vaccinated. The theory 'it won't hurt me, we are young and healthy' is an escape from the truth, an escape from reality, he emphasized and continued:

Fear for the health system

Young people like to get together, that’s logical, but we need to be aware of the current situation. The younger population who end up with a more severe clinical picture are, as a rule, almost all unvaccinated", said Srića, adding that so far we have not had a death of a person under the age of 50 who was vaccinated and in full health.

"We are already in over 90 percent of capacity in many Croatian hospitals, and only now are we taking care of those from two weeks ago when we had two thousand infected. What will be in the next two to three weeks?

I am afraid that with such a trend, the health care system, despite the fact that we hear some optimistic assessments from the Headquarters, will hardly survive. Even estimating the collapse of the health care system and Croatian hospitals in two to three weeks is not something that is unrealistic'', said Srića.

"I don't think the numbers will fall for a while. The winter is still going on and will last. I don't think we're at the peak yet, and that's especially worrying. What worries me the most is when the situation starts to collapse. We are wondering how many places we still have, not to mention the situation we will have in ten days. That is why I say that the measures are too weak", said Srića and answered the question: what if there is no place in Croatian hospitals, are there any protocols?

"We haven't worked out the protocols, I think we need them. We should first of all try to find enough capacity. The capacities of the beds and respirators are, I am convinced, not completely spent, I think there will be too few people. Many people are already exhausted, tired, the possibility of error is present.

And you want to get into a situation where you choose to take a respirator, you don't… We must not get into a situation like that, and I am afraid that we are not far from there", pointed out Srića.

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November 6, 2021 - 'It is my right to have a virus, I did not and I will not be vaccinated or tested', said Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic, as he announces that he will not comply with the new measures imposed by the government, and will stop attending parliament indefinitely.

As reported by Net.hr, Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic said after the introduction of new measures that include covid confirmations that he would no longer come to Parliament.

"That is impossible. Even if the deputies themselves made such a decision by a two-thirds majority, it would be marginal, and to prevent us from coming to Parliament on the basis of an administrative decision of some headquarters is completely unacceptable. Someone will certainly file a constitutional complaint because of that. The Constitutional Court will rule. I have not and will not be vaccinated, and I do not want to be tested. It is my right to have the virus. As long as these measures are in force, my foot will not step into Parliament'', Hasanbegovic told Novi list.

Measures apply to everyone

Let us remind you, after the Headquarters yesterday prescribed that COVID certificates are valid for all civil and public servants, Parliament Secretary Davor Orlović said that these measures would also be applied to MPs. Simply put, anyone who wants to be in Parliament will have to be vaccinated, tested, or recovered from the virus.

"It is known what will be the way to enter the Parliament building, either on the basis of COVID certificates or the appropriate test. There is absolutely no difference between officials and employees. No details are known yet, next week the Parliamentary Presidency will discuss new measures'', Orlović said.

''We can’t separate MPs from others'', he added.

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ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš told the national radio (HR) on Saturday morning that over 7,000 new cases of the infection with coronavirus had been registered in the last 24 hours.

Croatia is now at the peak of the new wave of the pandemic and unfortunately, today we have registered over 7,000 new cases.

The minister declined to predict the scenarios for the future.

Let us do our best, and the best thing is to get vaccinated and comply with the basic anti-epidemic measures, said Beroš.

He said that the hospitals were not under strain such was the case in the previous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called for responsible behavior of all so as to prevent an excessive burden on the healthcare system.

Vaccination reduces possible reservoirs for the virus, he said, reiterating the benefits of immunization such as fewer chances of getting seriously ill.

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ZAGREB, 5 Nov 2021 - In the past 24 hours Croatia has registered 6,932 new coronavirus cases and 36 deaths, the national COVID response team reported on Friday.

That is the highest number of new cases yet in one day since the outbreak of the pandemic. The record until now was 6,310, which was registered on Thursday.

There are currently 28,541 active cases in the country, including 1,711 hospitalised patients, with 231 hooked on ventilators.

At the same time, there are 26,362 people self-isolating.

Since the start of the epidemic in Croatia in 25 February 2020, there have been 490,074 cases and 9,400 people have died as a consequence. A total of 452,133 people have recovered, of whom 3,983 in the past 24 hours.

To date, a total of 3,155,683 people have been tested, including 15,079 in the past 24 hours..

As of Wednesday evening, a total of 3,658,686 vaccine doses have been administered, with 47.57% of the total population or 56.94% of the adult population having received at least one dose. On 4 November, 17,038 doses were administered. A total of 7,798 people received their first shot of vaccine on Thursday..

A total of 1,990,471 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine while 1,811,801 are fully vaccinated, or 53.57% of the adult population.

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November 5, 2021 - Among the new measures announced due to the rise in positive cases in the country, Davor Božinović announced that COVID certificates will be introduced as of January 4, and if the situation does not improve, they will only be valid for those who have recovered and/or vaccinated.

The National Civil Protection Headquarters announced when a new record of 6,932 new cases was broken in Croatia, that the use of covid certificates will be expanded from November 15, which will be mandatory for users and employees of public and state services, and gatherings will be further restricted from tomorrow, reports Index.hr.

From tomorrow new measures for gatherings

"To prevent the spread of the infection, it is necessary to act in three directions: to achieve as much vaccination as possible, to limit gatherings and to achieve as much security as possible when conducting business that will not be limited," said National Staff Chief Davor Bozinovic at a press conference.

He announced that new epidemiological measures would be introduced as a result, gatherings would be restricted from tomorrow, and the use of covid certificates would be expanded from 15 November.

Thus, a certificate of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test from mid-November will be mandatory for all employees of state and public services, as well as for citizens who will use their services and come to their premises. 

If the numbers continue to grow, from November 15, confirmations for cafes, shopping centers ...

The Headquarters announced on Thursday that covid certificates will be used even more widely from mid-November if the number of newly infected continues to grow, and then they will be introduced in catering facilities, such as cafes, restaurants, gyms, recreational and fitness centers indoors. 

Bozinovic announced that testing will be possible only in registered institutions and that, for a start, the cost of testing will be borne by the employer at the request of employees. 

As of January 4, certificates only for those vaccinated and those who have survived COVID-19

He pointed out that, if the situation does not improve, they will introduce covid-certificates from January 4, which will be available only to those who have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, and those who have been tested will no longer receive them.

"That gap has been left because it is enough time for all those who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated by the beginning of next year," Bozinovic said. 

Details of new measures

With a new decision coming into force tomorrow, Saturday, November 6, the headquarters further restricted gatherings indoors and outdoors.

From tomorrow, all public gatherings indoors with more than 50 people are prohibited, except for those attended by people who have a covid-certificate, but from now on it will be mandatory to wear masks and maintain distance. 

Events above 100 participants can only be organized at open-air public gatherings if all participants have an EU digital covid-certificate. Exceptionally, events over 100 people will be able to be held outdoors only with the approval of the CNIPH, which will develop an epidemiological framework. 

All gatherings are limited to 24 hours, with the exception of cinema screenings that begin at 11 pm and wedding ceremonies where everyone has a covid confirmation. The weddings must end no later than 2 o'clock after midnight, and they will consider additional time limits, announced Božinović. 

Congresses and conferences will be able to be held provided everyone has a Covid certificate, wears a mask, and keeps a distance.

Sports competitions will be able to be held in the presence of spectators indoors only if everyone has a Covid certificate and is required to use face masks. Sports participants will also have to have certificates, but they will not have to wear masks, Bozinovic said.

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November 5, 2021 - The first delta plus case in Croatia was detected in Čakovec on Thursday, revealed Krunoslav Capak's deputy Ivana Pavić Šimetin. 

Krunoslav Capak's deputy Ivana Pavić Šimetin confirmed on the HRT show Otvoreno on Thursday that the first delta plus corona strain was recorded in Croatia, reports Index.hr.

"Today, the first delta plus case was recorded in Čakovec. We knew it was at the door. From experience with delta and alpha strains, it will be seen how dangerous it is. What is known so far is that it is somewhat more contagious than the delta strain," she said. 

“It is precisely the smaller proportion of vaccinated people that is conducive to the spread of these new strains,” she added, confirming that the new epidemiological measures will be learned today at a session of the National Headquarters. 

"Among the delta strains that are dominant as causes of infection, the delta strain of variant AY.4.2 is sequenced, which means that the more virulent strain is in our environment and is much faster and easier to transmit," said the director of the Međimurje Institute of Public Health, Marina Payerl-Pal.

She added that the only option for all of us is vaccination, saying that Međimurje is a relatively well-vaccinated region, over 60 percent, but that is still not enough to prevent the spread of the virus in the way we are currently witnessing.

As Index found out last night, the Headquarters will introduce a significantly wider use of Covid-certificates, which are currently mandatory only in health and social care.

But at the moment, well-informed sources reveal that there will not be an extensive application of certificates issued for vaccinations, illnesses, or negative tests, which would include cafes, restaurants, and shopping malls, as announced by some media.

Instead, according to Index, Covid-certificates will be introduced at this stage in all state and public services for employees and users of their services. This means that everyone who works in some state or local institutions will have to have a Covid-certificate to work. Still, citizens who come to public institutions will also have to have this certificate.

Delta + is probably 10% more contagious than Delta

A variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus called delta is one of the most contagious viruses we know. It is as infectious as chickenpox and is more contagious than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, colds, flu, and smallpox. Delta is also significantly more virulent than the British version known as alpha, which is more contagious than the original Wuhan strain.

As this super infectious variant spreads, it continues to mutate. SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus, and they mutate faster than double-stranded RNA viruses and DNA viruses. In addition, research has shown that genome size is generally negatively correlated with mutation rate - the larger the genome, the fewer mutations.

In this sense, it is good that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has a large genome composed of about 30 thousand base pairs, so it mutates relatively slowly for single-stranded RNA viruses, slower than the flu. The correlation between genome size and mutation slowness is logical because a virus with a large genome must have a well-ordered check on the accuracy of copying its code. If it did not have that, too many errors would occur in the large genome, and the virus would not be effective - too many viral particles would be created in reproduction that would be scrapped. On the other hand, the flu virus, which is much shorter in RNA, can afford the luxury of being less accurately transcribed and more mutated, and the same is valid for hepatitis C and HIV viruses.

On the other hand, the delta is spreading and replicating so massively due to high infectivity that transcription errors still occur in large numbers. The likelihood of new variants increases, especially in unvaccinated populations.

One of the last variants that caught the attention of health professionals is a variant called AY.1, or delta plus. The reason for the interest is that the Indian Ministry of Health classified it in June as a “variant of concern”. This label indicates that it appears to be more contagious, bind more easily to lung cells, and be potentially resistant to monoclonal antibody therapy, meaning it could break through acquired immunity.

Delta plus has a spike (S) mutation K417N on the protein that delta does not have. This mutation was previously found in some subvariants of the alpha that dominated before the delta and in the beta variant.

James EK Hildreth, executive director of Meharry Medical School in Nashville, told the Washington Post that public health leaders should pay attention to the experiences of other nations, pointing to the devastating effect of the delta in India and the country's decision to label delta plus as a concern.

“We have already seen what happened to the delta in India and how fast it has spread,” he said.

"Why would we think the delta plus variant would be different?" he added.

One reason for concern is the possibility that delta plus would break through the protection created by getting sick or getting vaccinated. So far, we have no explicit confirmation of this concern.

The delta plus variant in Europe was first recorded in March 2021. It has since been discovered in several countries worldwide, including South Korea and the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it currently accounts for only a small 0.1% share of the causative agent among those infected with Covid-19. However, the delta strain is now the cause of 93% of all infections in the United States.

Whether it is more contagious than the delta will be shown over time if its share grows, that is, if it proves to displace the delta. This will take some time because the delta itself is highly contagious, so the advantage of the delta plus variant in terms of contagion is probably not great. For now, it is assumed to be 10 percent more contagious than delta.

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November the 5th, 2021 - The Croatian fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the economic/job preservation measures which were introduced, have cost the country a pretty penny. Finance Minister Zdravko Maric revealed the exact, eye-watering figures.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, most of the costs relate to government measures which were introduced in an attempt to preserve jobs, both directly and indirectly, and these are taxes, contributions, everything that the state decided to take into its own hands, said Finance Minister Zdravko Maric, who presented to Croatian Parliament the rebalance of this year's state budget.

The supplementary budget increases total budget revenues by 3.3 billion kuna to 153.6 billion kuna, and expenditures by 6 billion kuna to 173.3 billion kuna. The state budget is expected to record a deficit of 19.7 billion kuna or 4.7 percent of GDP, while the general government deficit will be 18.9 billion kuna or 4.5 percent of GDP.

The Minister reiterated that the estimates of GDP growth for this year have been revised from the originally planned 5.2 percent to about nine percent, writes Dnevnik.hr.

When we look at all components of domestic GDP, except for investments in the private segment, we have a significant increase in all categories, Zdravko Maric explained, before pointing out that, in terms of investment, in the coming years, they will be the main drivers of overall economic growth.

Average annual inflation is 2.4 percent

Zdravko Maric also gave an estimate of price movements, meaning inflation.

''Regardless of the last few months and the accelerated, visible inflation, our estimate for this year is 2.4 percent for average annual inflation,'' he said. He also stressed that a reduction in public debt in GDP to 83.1 percent is planned.

"Although we're revising the deficit from 3.8 to 4.5 percent, this year we expect, given the much higher growth rate than initially expected, a further reduction in the share of public debt in GDP to 83.1 percent," he said, before noting that for four years in a row now, public debt has been reduced "cumulatively by almost 12 percentage points of GDP".

''The coronavirus pandemic and to a degree, the earthquakes of 2020, once raised the share of public debt in terms of GDP to 87.3 percent and once erased all the effect of those four years,'' said Maric, adding that those 4.2 percentage points, according to estimates that have been seen in other countries, will place Croatia among the top three.

This result, Zdravko Maric added, should be emphasised not only in numbers, but also in the fact that we have done and are doing everything possible, and according to the growth rate and reduction of the share of public debt in GDP, it can already be concluded that the effect of the pandemic, without no matter how strong, he was a one-off.

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ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš announced on Thursday that the national COVID-19 crisis management team would introduce a new package of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, including wider use of COVID certificates, but there would not be a new lockdown.

"We are completely clear that we must react. A new package of measures is being hammered out and it will be presented at a press conference tomorrow. Epidemiologists will this time again put forward measures which will be agreed on with the goal of preventing the spread of the infection, a further rise in the number of new cases, and ensuring the stability of the health system," Beroš told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

He confirmed that the new measures included a wider use of COVID certificates, although he "certainly hopes that we wouldn't need a COVID certificate to go for a coffee or to a shopping center".

"There are a number of other measures with which we can try to prevent the further spread of the virus. We'll see everything tomorrow," said Beroš, noting that the new measures sought to strike a balance between restrictions and normal life.

He underscored that the citizens who had been vaccinated had been taken into account in the new package of measures.

"There cannot be a new lockdown. Those who are truly protected, those who have recovered from the infection and been vaccinated, we cannot restrict their lives," Beroš said.

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ZAGREB, 4 Nov 2021 - Five members of the government's scientific council -  Andreja Ambriović Ristov, Nenad Ban, Petra Klepac, Branko Kolarić, and Igor Rudan - warned on Thursday that measures against the COVID-19 epidemic are not sufficiently effective and should be adjusted to prevent the further rise in new infections.

"Croatia is faced with the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with a relatively low rate of vaccination compared to other EU countries. This wave is dominated by the Delta variant of the virus which is significantly more contagious than the variants in the preceding three waves, and somewhat more dangerous for all age groups. Any increase in the number of cases from week to week is a sign that the epidemiological measures in force are not sufficiently effective, so they need to be adjusted in scope to prevent the further large rise," the scientists said in a press release distancing themselves from statements by another member of the council, Gordan Lauc.

The scientists said that many countries in the world have shown with their example that it is possible to protect people's lives and preserve the healthcare system through crisis management, confidence in the profession, and the unity of society in understanding the situation, vaccinating as much of the population as possible and the timely introduction of a series of available anti-epidemic measures.

"That experience acquired is not being sufficiently applied in Croatia, while misinformation spread by incompetent people who systematically undermine the seriousness of this pandemic continues to be the main source of information for a large number of citizens. That is why over the next few weeks Croatia will record a very large number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths and will become one of the countries in the world hardest hit by the pandemic," the scientists added. 

They called on citizens to inform themselves from experts and to adhere to measures that can prevent the spread of the contagion, urging those who haven't been vaccinated to do so and in that way help relieve the burden on the health system, which is currently in an extremely difficult situation.

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