ZAGREB, 13 Dec 2021 - People who think that the risk of COVID-19 is small are the most reluctant to get vaccinated, a study approved for publication in the Croatian Medical Journal shows.

The study, written by sociologists Dragan Bagić from the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Adrijana Šuljok and Branko Ančić from the Institute for Social Research, is part of a project by the Croatian Science Foundation called "Resilience of Croatian society against the COVID-19 pandemic", the Jutarnji List daily wrote on Monday.

The purpose of the study was to establish who refuses to get vaccinated and why, and it was conducted on a sample of 765 respondents. It showed that over a third of the respondents hesitate or refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The most frequent reason given is that the vaccine is not safe enough or effective. Some of the respondents said they prefer natural immunity, i.e. recovering from the disease over vaccination, while some of the hesitant respondents also expressed mistrust of vaccines in general.

The study showed that young respondents, women, people with lower educational qualifications, and those living in small towns are more inclined to hesitate or refuse to get vaccinated. Foreign studies have also shown similar findings.

"These are the groups that the vaccination campaign should focus on," Šuljok was quoted as saying. "It should be borne in mind that some of these people cannot be influenced and are less likely to change their opinion. Our study has also shown that respondents who expressed mistrust of science are more inclined to hesitate or refuse to get vaccinated," she added.

Šuljok said that the term "anti-vaxxers", used to denote the people who hesitate or refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19, is not appropriate because some of them are mistrustful of vaccines in general.

"By labeling all people, including those who are primarily afraid of the COVID-19 vaccine because it is new and has been developed quickly, as anti-vaxxers we are actually pushing them towards the group of real anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists, which might have negative consequences through increased opposition to 'regular' vaccines," Šuljok said.

She said that the public health campaign has failed to get the message across to a section of the population about the danger of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and that this was partly due to conflicting messages from the government advisory council and the predominant public narrative that mostly elderly people and serious patients get seriously ill.

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ZAGREB, 11 Dec, 2021 - Croatia has registered 3,860 new coronavirus cases and 58 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday.

The number of active cases stands at 26,483 and among them 2,290 infected persons are receiving hospital treatment, including 323 who are on ventilators.

A total of 23,895 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 651,863 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 11,574 have died.

A total of 613,806 people have recovered, including 4,143 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,570,483 people have tested for the new virus, of whom 11,161 in the last 24 hours.

54.81% of total population vaccinated

As of Friday, 4,361,237 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.81 per cent of the total population, or 65.36 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated.

A total of 2,224,323 people have received at least one dose and 2,029,476 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 59.84 per cent of the adult population.

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December the 9th, 2021 - Epidemiologist Bernard Kaic was a recent guest on H1 TV, on which he discussed the vaccination of children aged between five and eleven against the novel coronavirus, which is set to begin in Croatia shortly. He also discussed the first recently confirmed vaccine-related fatality in the country, which was confirmed recently.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Bernard Kaic said that when the initial report of a suspicion of a vaccine side effect came to their attention, they first went through all of the medical documentation carefully.

''We looked at what and how much is known about what that vaccine can or cannot cause, given that back in the beginning it was not known for sure but there was a signal that it could cause the effect which the individual suffered. It was only after a month or two that it was confirmed that this extremely rare side effect is indeed possible. Additional laboratory tests were then needed to confirm the diagnosis, then additional clinical data was required, and then we discussed it in the working group and concluded that this was probably, almost certainly in fact, related to the vaccine. HALMED was still seeking external expertise, so it took time. We concluded it at the expert group much earlier, but HALMED wanted another external confirmation before it went public with the information,'' explained Bernard Kaic.

We have no official reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia

"Statistically, we should have a few more such cases. The incidence of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia is one in 100,000 vaccinated individuals, and we've been vaccinated with over 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca and it is possible that there are others that we missed, but we have no official reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. We have reports of thrombosis, that people have had various coagulation disorders, we also have some reports of bleeding, the propensity to bleed after vaccination, bruising that people have, but these patients haven't been thoroughly treated to see if thrombosis with thrombocytopenia is the case because it's a separate, new entity and we don't have any official reports,'' Bernard Kaic said in answer to the question of whether it's possible that we do indeed have more similar cases undetected across Croatia.

The use of the AstraZeneca vaccine will continue just as it did before

"Given that this isn't surprising and that it's expected, and with this risk of one in 100,000 vaccinated people, it's believed that the benefits of vaccination in this situation are much greater than the possible side effects of the vaccine because 100,000 vaccinated people prevent many more hospitalisations, severe forms of illness and death, than the risk that, unfortunately, someone will die from a side effect. Nothing changes regarding the recommendations for the use of AstraZeneca. In June, when the incidence fell, we estimated that at that time, vaccination with AstraZeneca wasn't recommended for those under 50 years of age because they have a higher risk than the elderly do, and the risk of coronavirus complications for that group is lower than in the case of older people. Now, in the fourth wave, the benefits of AstraZeneca outweigh the risks in all age groups, but if the decline in the number of overall patients continues, it will be time to return the recommendation from June,'' said Bernard Kaic.

He also commented on the vaccination of children aged five to eleven, which will begin in Croatia soon

“It will be able to start next week, we're just waiting for the vaccine to arrive. The European and American agencies have given approval for the use of children's formulations, also with the opinion that the benefits of vaccination are greater and there is no obstacle for children from five to eleven years of age to be vaccinated. We'll primarily recommend vaccinating children who have chronic diseases or those who have chronically ill persons or immunocompromised persons living in the same household. There are countries that started before us, such as Israel and the United States, and so far there are no safety signals that would indicate a problem in terms of side effects,'' concluded Bernard Kaic.

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ZAGREB, 8 Dec, 2021 - Croatia has registered 4,751 new coronavirus cases and 54 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Wednesday morning.

The number of active cases stands at 27,221 and among them are 2,412 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 320 who are on ventilators. A total of 22,342 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 639,778 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 11,383 have died and 601,174 have recovered, including 2,583 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,535,311 people have tested for the new virus, of whom 12,790 in the last 24 hours.

As of Tuesday, 4,289,179 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.56 per cent of the total population, or 65.07 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,214,222 people have received at least one dose and 1,998,930 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 58.97 per cent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 7 Dec, 2021 - After more than 2.2 million Croatians were vaccinated against COVID-19, the Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED) on Tuesday confirmed the first vaccination-related fatality, a 33-year-old man who died after vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The causal relationship between vaccination and the side effects and fatal outcome was assessed as probable, and the man died of the thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, HALMED said.

So far no other cases of this side effect have been reported nor has any other reported fatal outcome been found to be related to vaccination.

The man in question died 12 days after vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine (Vaxzevria) and the report on the case was received in March 2021, after which extensive medical checks and analyses were conducted.

Based on reports filed with the European database of suspected adverse drug reactions, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) identified the said syndrome and established that it can occur very rarely if viral vector vaccines are applied.

EMA also determined that even though this very rare syndrome can occur, as can related risks from hospitalisation and fatal outcome, the overall benefit of the said vaccine in preventing COVID-19 by far outweighs the potential risks.

According to the latest information by EMA, by 14 October 2021, 624 reports of suspected thrombosis with thrombocytopenia were filed with the European database of suspected adverse drug reactions, and around 69 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were administered in the EU by 29 October 2021.

In Croatia, 562,938 doses of the Vaxzevria vaccine were administered by 6 December 2021, and 1,584 reports of suspected side effects were filed. Most or 81% of the side effects reported so far were not serious, were mild or moderate and lasted several days.

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ZAGREB, 7 Dec, 2021 - Croatia has registered 3,262 new coronavirus cases and 60 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Tuesday,

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 25,107 and among them are 2,436 infected people who are receiving hospital treatment, including 319 who are on ventilators. A total of 20,937 persons are self-isolating.

To date, 3,522,521 people have tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including 10,244 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Croatia, 635,027 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 11,329 have died and 598,591 have recovered, including 3,662 in the last 24 hours.

As of Monday, 4,266,743 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.47 per cent of the total population, or 64.97 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,210,635 persons have received at least one dose and 1,989,027 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 58.69 per cent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 6 Dec 2021 - The Iustitia et Pax Commission of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops (HBK) on Monday joined Pope Francis in his appeal for getting vaccinated, explaining that the COVID-19 pandemic requires responsible behavior, including renouncing personal freedoms.

The HBK commission issued a press release in which it recommends vaccination against coronavirus as an act of love, as suggested by Pope Francis in several appeals, however, the Croatian Justice and Peace Commission also warned against making use of COVID certificates as an indirect form of coercion.

The press release reads that the COVID-19 pandemic caught everybody unprepared and it "often juxtaposes the fundamental values and the acquired freedoms."

"All of that requires of us to show great responsibility and prudence, as well as to make sacrifices for the sake of our fellow humans, including relinquishing certain personal freedoms."

The press release signed by the commission's president, Osijek Archbishop Đuro Hranić, reads that the developments had led to the social conflicts and divisions that caused mistrust of institutions and science, thus creating space for pseudo-scientific speech and conspiracy theories.

In this context, the commission mentions cases of persons who negated the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic and spread fear, which was conducive to the rifts in the society.

Admitting that some of those pandemic negators are members of the Church, the commission says that such persons have done damage to themselves as well as to fellow humans and to the reputation of the Catholic Church.

The press release further reads that vaccination is not a moral obligation and ought to be on a voluntary basis, however, the conscience of individuals must not become blind.

Thus, during the pandemic, people are called upon to take care of each other, and in this spirit, they are expected to follow the appeal of Pope Francis who has underscored on several occasions that getting vaccinated is an act of love.

The commission also underscores that all the approved vaccines against coronavirus are morally acceptable, as stated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and also points out the importance of complying with all the epidemiological rules, including testing and inoculation.

Vaccination on a voluntary basis

The press release, however, calls for avoiding making use of COVID-19 certificates as indirect coercion for immunization or making use of vaccination as a precondition for employment, as this causes fear and resistance among people.

For more, check out our politics section.

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ZAGREB, 5 Dec, 2021 - Croatia has registered 2,796 new coronavirus cases and 68 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus crisis management team reported on Sunday.

Currently, there are 29,478 active cases in the country. Among them are 2,381 people being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, including 310 who are on ventilators. A total of 25,841 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 631,037 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 11,218 have died and 590,341 have recovered, including 4,598 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,509,545 people have been tested for the new virus, including 8,277 in the last 24 hours.

As of 4 December, 4,245,741 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.38 per cent of the total population, or 64.87 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,206,995 persons have received at least one dose and 1,979,003 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 58.40 per cent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 4 Dec, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 11,717 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Croatia and of them, 38% (4,465) have returned positive, whereas another 54 COVID patients have died, bringing the COVID-related death toll to 11,150, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Saturday.

Currently, there are 31,348 active cases, and of them 2,382 are receiving hospital treatment, including 317 patients on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of infection with the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, 628,241 persons have caught the virus and 585,743 of them have recovered from the infection, including 4,712 in the last 24 hours.

During the vaccine rollout, over 4.2 million doses against coronavirus have been administered. So far, 54.29 % of the total population have got at least a jab, or nearly 65% of adults.

Furthermore, 58.13% of adults have been fully vaccinated.

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ZAGREB, 28 Nov, 2021 - In the last 24 hours 3,339 coronavirus cases and 64 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national crisis management team said on Sunday.

There are 34,326 active cases, including 2,538 hospitalised patients, of whom 330 are on ventilators, while 22,900 persons are self-isolating.

To date 3,433,761 persons have been tested for the virus, including 9,010 in the last 24 hours.

Croatia has registered 603,316 coronavirus cases to date as well as 10,759 related deaths and 558,231 recoveries, of which 3,502 in the last 24 hours.

To date 53.59% of the total population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, including 63.95% of adults, 57.01% of whom have completed vaccination.

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