ZAGREB, 27 Nov, 2021 - The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has called, in the context of detection of Omicron, a variant of coronavirus considered a variant of concern, for stepping up primary vaccination, applying a booster dose for people above 40 as well as for stepping up other hygiene measures.

Based on currently available genetic information, the risks of this variant of concern are high, according to preliminary data, the ECDC said on Friday evening.

The B.1.1.529 variant, first detected in southern Africa, is the most divergent variant that has been detected in significant numbers during the pandemic to date, raising serious concerns that it may significantly reduce the effectiveness of vaccines and increase the risk of reinfections.

"Today we are releasing a threat assessment on the emergence of a new Sars-COV-2 variant of concern. There is still considerable uncertainty related to the transmissibility, vaccine effectiveness, risk for reinfections and other properties of this variant. At this stage, based on our experience with previous variants we must be proactive and implement measures as a precaution to buy time until we gain more knowledge. Therefore, I would like to reiterate the three key recommendations from our rapid risk assessment from the 24th of November. Firstly, it is imperative we close the immunisation gap. Secondly, booster doses should be considered for all adult individuals, prioritising persons above 40 years of age. Finally, due to the uncertainties involved with this situation, the timely reinforced implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions is now more important than ever," said ECDC director Andrea Ammon.

The non-pharmaceutical interventions include the appropriate use of face masks, teleworking, operational modifications that reduce crowding on public transport, ensuring adequate ventilation in closed spaces and maintenance of hygiene measures that can be implemented immediately. Setting limits for the number of participants in social and public events during end-of-year celebrations will support physical distancing efforts.

Ammon said countries are again urged to give utmost priority to individuals initially targeted by COVID-19 vaccination programmes that remain unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated. Increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage in all eligible age groups, but particularly in the elderly, in the vulnerable, and healthcare workers should remain the priority for public health authorities.

Public health authorities should identify those with an epidemiological link to cases with the new variant or travel history to areas known to be affected to control or delay the spread of the new variant, she said.

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ZAGREB, 25 Nov 2021 - Croatia has registered 6,246 new coronavirus cases and 64 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national COVID-19 response team reported on Thursday.

Currently, there are 34,953 active cases and 2,529 patients are receiving hospital treatment, including 316 who are placed on ventilators. 29,853 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 589,015 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 10,569 have died and 543,493 have recovered, including 4,792 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,396,608 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to date, including 15,526 in the last 24 hours.

As of Wednesday, 4,047,302 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 53.02 percent of the total population, or 63.28 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. 2,151,481 people have received at least one dose and 1,912,240 have been fully vaccinated, which is 56.50 percent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 23 Nov 2021 - Croatia has registered 4,926 new coronavirus cases and 62 COVID-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.

Currently, there are 30,541 active COVID-19 cases in the country. Among them are 2,591 hospitalized people, including 317 patients placed on ventilators, and 22,304 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 576,633 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 10,438 have died and 535,654 have recovered, including 4,048 in the past 24 hours.

To date, 3,366,965 people have been tested, including 12,862 in the past 24 hours.

As of 22 November, 4,000,957 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, with 52.55 percent of the total population, or 62.74 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated.

Of that number, 2,132,477 people have received at least one dose, while 1,900,551 have been fully vaccinated, which is 56.16 percent of the adult population.

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November 22, 2021 - Despite recent massive protests against the mandate to use COVID certificates, the use of these to enter restaurants, cafes, and other businesses is supported by more than half of the population in a recent survey.

As the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases and the number of daily deaths continue to rise in Croatia, two parallel realities are facing each other in the country. On one hand, the imposition of the use of COVID certificates to enter public institutions and soon private businesses has motivated thousands of Croats to get vaccinated in recent weeks. On the other hand, this has unleashed a mass movement of thousands of citizens who oppose the measure and demand that the government desists from the restrictions imposed.

Last night in the central Dnevnik of HTV, market research - HReiting was published, and one of the topics of the research was whether citizens support the introduction of COVID certificates for entering cafes and restaurants, reports HrTurizam.

When asked if you support the introduction of COVID certificates for entry to cafes and restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, following the example of other countries, a small majority of respondents support them. Namely, 55% of them support the introduction of COVID certificates for entering cafes and restaurants, while 40% of respondents do not. Others do not know or are not sure, ie. they do not want to answer.

The survey was conducted from November 15 to 17 on a sample of 1,400 respondents. The largest sample error is +/- 2.62% and the research reliability is 95%.

Croatia has registered 1,327 new coronavirus cases and 73 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Monday.

This is the largest number of deaths in a single day during the fourth wave of the pandemic, while the absolute record of 92 deaths was registered on 16 December 2020.

As of 21 November, 3,985,860 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 52.38 percent of the total population, or 62.54 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. 2,125,514 persons have received at least one dose, while 1,896,361 have been fully vaccinated, which is 56.04 percent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 22 Nov 2021 - Following an increased demand for Pfizer/BioNtech's COVID-19 vaccine among the unvaccinated population in Croatia in recent weeks, the Slovenian government has decided to approve Croatia's request to lend it 40,950 doses of the vaccine.

The vaccine has not yet been delivered to Slovenia. so the operation will be carried out as a double donation. This means that Slovenia will first lend the vaccine to Croatia and then Croatia will return it to Slovenia by 31 December at the latest.

The contract for the double donation will be signed by the Health Ministry and the National Public Health Institute, which is also in charge of preparing the vaccine doses for transport, delivery, logistics and notifying the producer about the donation.

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ZAGREB, 22 Nov 2021 - Croatia has donated 490,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to eight countries, including Bhutan, Vietnam, Rwanda and Kosovo, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Monday.

Croatia has ordered enough vaccines so it was able to donate 490,000 doses to lower-income countries in which vaccine is less available or too expensive. The donation was made through the WHO's Covax program.

By mid-November, Croatia has donated 420,000 doses of AstraZeneca to eight countries. Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bhutan received 10,000 doses each, Bosnia and Herzegovina received 170,000 doses, North Macedonia 30,000. Vietnam 60,000 doses, Rwanda 100,000 and Albania 30,000. Last month 70,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine were sent to Bosnia Herzegovina.

Contrary to popular belief, the donated vaccine is not stored in Croatia but the producer ships the doses originally intended for Croatia directly to other countries, Jutarnji List said.

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ZAGREB, 21 Nov, 2021 - The Croatian Pensioners' Party (HSU) says the claims by anti-COVID certificate protesters on Saturday that the certificates allegedly restrict freedoms and rights are off the point and questionable, since it is the right to health that is affected when hospitals are overcrowded due to the pandemic.

Following Saturday's protest in Zagreb that brought together thousands of anti-vaxxers and protesters against COVID certificates from whole Croatia, the HSU stated on Sunday that the developments prompted it to respond publicly, without any wish to deepen divisions in the society.

"We must emphasise that one of the main reasons cited by the protesters for their demonstrations -- the restrictions of human rights and freedoms -- misses the point," says the party.

We would like to underscore that one disregards the fact about the restriction of the right of many to health, due to the epidemic, and this right is one of the fundamental human rights.

It is clear that living in an organised community such as a state includes also responsibilities alongside the exercise of many rights.

The freedom to public assembly is one of many benefits for those living in a democracy, however, many times public assemblies have political goals, the party added.

Instead of claiming that the anti-epidemic rules deny their rights and freedoms, it is better that individuals admit that they are simply afraid of vaccination.

The HSU went on to say that fear is "a normal human reaction" and one should only admit that.

The party also points out that some citizens do not get vaccinated out of fear and some out of egoism waiting for others' full vaccination to see what will happen.

It calls on the general public to follow the solutions found by the scientific community.

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ZAGREB, 21 Nov, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 11,125 tests performed for coronavirus, 38% of them (4,262) have turned out to be positive, and 60 more COVID patients have died, raising the death toll to 10,303, Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Sunday. 

There are now 33,708 active cases, and of them 2,568 are receiving hospital treatment. As many as 323 patients are on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, over 3.35 million tests have been conducted showing that 570,380 people have contracted the virus. Of them, 526,369 have so far recovered, including 5,376 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

 62.5% of adult Croatians get vaccinated

More than 3.98 million vaccine doses have been administered under the vaccination rollout plan in Croatia where 52.32% of the total population or 62.47% of the adults have been given at least a shot.

As many as 56% of the adults have fully been vaccinated to date.

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ZAGREB, 20 Nov, 2021 - Researcher Gordan Lauc, a former member of the government's Scientific Council, said on Saturday evening that he had not called for protests against vaccinations and COVID certificates in his social networks posts and that he did not feel responsible for the incidents during the protest.

Lauc told the the Nova TV broadcaster on Saturday evening that he actually said in his posts that "COVID certificates are wrong. I told the vociferous majority that their voice should be heard. That they should share my post, that they should write to media outlets to the government, that they should turn out at protest rallies in line with law."

He went on to say that it was not him who called on people to join the protest rally held in Zagreb on Saturday afternoon against vaccines and against COVID certificates and underscored that he did not feel responsible for the incidents which had occurred during the demonstrations organised by anti-vaxxers when protesters were trying to prevent reporters to cover the rally in Zagreb's main square.

Lauc said he was sure that 99.9% of demonstrators had expressed their dissatisfaction in a peaceful and legal manner.

He added that every form of violence, both verbal and physical, should be condemned.

"Things should be settled through institution, the system, the exchange of arguments and by making logical decisions."

He said that the decision on the COVID certificate mandate was wrong. The measure was designed in the European Union, when we believed that the vaccinated people could not spread the virus.

This creates a false feeling of security, Lauc added.

While claiming that the vaccination against coronavirus would not lessen the strain on hospitals, he admitted that he was fully vaccinated after he had recovered this infectious disease.

He explained that he had received two shots to make it easier for him to travel abroad and also due to the fact that he had underlying conditions.

"Vaccination will not halt the spread of the pandemic. Getting vaccinated will reduce the risks of vaccinated individuals. All of us will caught the virus," he said.

Lauc used to be a member of the government's scientific think tank, however, the government decided to dismiss him from that body, after he said that he was against the mandatory COVID certificates for entry into state and public institutions.

The Croatian Chamber of Physicians and some members of the said think tank already warned about controversial statements made by Lauc and the chamber welcomed the decision to relieve  Lauc of the membership of the government's scientific council.

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ZAGREB, 20 Nov, 2021 - Protesters against COVID-19 certificates on Saturday evening moved from Zagreb's central square to the part of the city where the HRT public broadcaster is located, demanding to see the HRT director and have their rally covered live and calling for an end to "censorship" by the HRT.

Dissatisfied with the way the HRT covered their protest in the central city square at 3 p.m., the protesters shouted "We want elections", "Referendum and people's rule", "Thieves", "Treason", "God's law is above all laws", demanding to see the HRT director and have their rally covered live.

The protesters were met by riot police, with a dozen police vehicles blocking access to the HRT building.

Some of the protesters demanded to see the editor in chief and that the protest be broadcast live, claiming that the HRT "cannot be a factory of censorship" and that "the HRT is lying to the Croatian people, spreading fear and enemy propaganda."

Claiming that they did not want to force anything on anyone and did not want others to do it to them, and shouting "We want truth" and "People rules" and singing patriotic songs, they continued to demand a response by the HRT, saying that "people want to say what they think" and the public broadcaster has the duty to report about it.

"This is no vaccine, this is poison", someone in the crowd could be heard saying while some protesters said the world was ruled by "Bill Gates, Talmudists and Soros's followers".

An HRT employee told the protesters that there was no one in the building they could talk to, to which they responded with shouts however the protest continued mostly without incidents and around 8 p.m. the protesters started to disperse.

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