ZAGREB, 25 February, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 544 new coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia and 12 COVID-19 patients have died, the national COVID response team said on Thursday.

Currently there are 2,933 active cases, including 790 hospitalised patients, of whom 70 are on ventilators.

A total of 12,869 people are self-isolating.

To date 1,327,769 people have been tested for the virus, including 6,433 in the past 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the new virus was first registered in Croatia, 241,592 people have been infected, of whom 5,489 have died.

A total of 233,170 people have recovered, including 278 in the past 24 hours.

February the 25th, 2021 - Prime Minister Plenkovic has announced that Croatia's cafe terraces will be able to finally open again as of Monday, which is likely to delight many who are missing coffee culture.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in addition to information on the current situation related to the spread of the ongoing coronavirus and earthquake, the agenda of a recent government session also includes the decision on the distribution of the donations of funds paid into the Croatian state budget in the action called "Assistance for reconstruction after the earthquake", which you can read more about here.

At the beginning of the recent government session, Prime Minister Plenkovic, as as become usual, summarised everything that had been taken up until that point.

"Our [coronavirus] numbers have been falling for ten weeks now. When compared to last Thursday, we've unfortunately had an increase,'' he said.

''Whether this is down to the cold weather, the easing up of our anti-epidemic measures, or some wider easing, we must continue to maintain a great level of caution. Along with Denmark, we are the country with the lowest incidence in the entire EU,'' said Prime Minister Plenkovic in the introduction.

"After a series of consultations with all departments, the intention is to enable the operation of catering ans hospiality facilities on their terraces and in their open spaces from March the 1st with the prescribed epidemiological measures implied," said Prime Minister Plenkovic, adding that indoor sports activities will also be enabled.

He also spoke about extending economic assistance to Croatia's enfeebled enterprises, which he says will be discussed in more detail.

''We mustn't be overly relaxed. If the situation gets worse again, more restrictive measures can always be taken," he concluded.

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February 25, 2021 - It has been exactly one year since the first coronavirus case in Croatia. The first patient was a young man from Zagreb who became infected at a football match in Milan.

HRT reports that on Wednesday, 688 new coronavirus cases were reported. The share of positives among those tested has increased, which is now around 9 percent. Unfortunately, 15 more patients died. The largest increase in the number of newly infected is in Dubrovnik-Neretva and Split-Dalmatia counties.

In 2020, Croatia was united with the rest of the world in the fight against the coronavirus, which is still ongoing given the new strains of the virus and the difficulties surrounding the delivery of registered vaccines.

In one year in Croatia, 241,048 people became infected, and 5,477 died as a result of the infection. The Central Bureau of Statistics announced that from March, when the epidemic was officially declared in Croatia, until December 2020, the number of deaths increased by 13.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

The first prevention and protection measures against the new coronavirus at international airports and seaports in Croatia began on January 24. The National Civil Protection Headquarters was established on February 20. A day later, the Headquarters decided to establish quarantine, and three days later, schools were recommended against school excursions and trips to Italy.

The first case of coronavirus was recorded on Tuesday, February 25, in Zagreb. It was a young man who attended a football match in Milan. Health Minister Vili Beroš decided to declare the coronavirus epidemic on March 11, 2020.

Croatia recorded the first 100 infected on March 19 and passed 1000 infected two weeks after - on April 2. The first death due to complications of COVID-19 was recorded one month after the first case was recorded in Croatia on March 25.

By summer, the daily number of newly infected was relatively low, not exceeding the maximum of 96, and in May and June, there were days when no cases were recorded.

The last such day since the beginning of the epidemic was June 12, when the total number of infected was 2,249. Croatia reached 100 deaths on May 25.

The Headquarters adopted the first restrictive measures in March. Thus, on March 16, they suspended teaching in educational institutions, and distance learning began.

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

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - The Istria County civil protection authority asked the national COVID-19 response team on Wednesday to adopt a decision on the reopening of bars with outdoor terraces in the county as of 1 March.

The authority's chief Dino Kozlevac said they had "responsibly talked" with the heads of the county Chamber of Trades and Crafts and Hospitality Guild.

He said all COVID measures should be adopted responsibly and cautiously because "the situation around us isn't good and some countries, notably in the east, are locking down."

In the past 24 hours, the Istria County Public Health Institute tested 344 swabs for COVID-19 and six came back positive. The county has 37 active cases of infection and 809 people in self-isolation.

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs has said that the epidemiological situation in Croatian schools is stable except in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, which has switched to online classes, and that the relaxation of restrictions at universities has been postponed for a while.

The deteriorated situation in schools in Dubrovnik-Neretva County is due to private gatherings, as determined by epidemiologists, Fuchs said ahead of a meeting of the inner cabinet on Wednesday, noting that he hoped the situation would not further escalate there.

He noted that the ministry had planned to start relaxing restrictions at universities but that due to the latest increase in the number of new infections, that plan would be delayed for a while.

Speaking of the reconstruction of Zagreb schools, damaged in last year's earthquake, he said that he hoped it would start as soon as possible.

He recalled that the city administration was in charge of the reconstruction of schools and that the ministry was coordinating the reconstruction of institutions of higher education and institutes.

It has been agreed that the buildings should be reconstructed in such a way to make them more resilient to earthquakes, he said, noting that restoring the buildings to the state they were in before the earthquake will be financed from one type of funds while additional works will be financed from another.

The process will not be fast, he said, noting that preparation of the necessary documentation would take at least a year.

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - The director of the Croatian Institute for Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, said on Wednesday that the number of new coronavirus cases in the first three days of this week was 30% higher than in the same period last week.

"There were 1,103 new cases of coronavirus in the period between Monday and Wednesday while last week there were 844 cases in the comparable period," Capak said at a regular press conference of the national COVID-19 response team.

Currently the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population is 115.3 and Croatia continues to be in third place in the EU, with Finland and Denmark having a lower incidence rate.

The highest increase in the number of new cases has been registered in Dubrovnik-Neretva and Split-Dalmatia counties and Capak believes that that is because people have relaxed and socialise more.

Decision on possible relaxation of measures to depend on increase in numbers 

The head of the national COVID-19 response team, Davor Božinović, said that talks had intensified regarding the team's decision on epidemiological restrictions after 1 March and that the increased numbers over the past five days as well as the 30% increase recorded this week would be taken into consideration.

"We still rank highly in the EU with regard to the incidence rate.... the situation is deteriorating in our eastern neighbours..." said Božinović.

If measures are to be relaxed after 1 March, they have to be accompanied by strict epidemiological rules that may come across a negative reaction but we are doing the best we can for life to get back to normal, added Božinović.

There is always the possibility that measures that have been relaxed are once again tightened, he said.

Markotić: There are probably more cases of the British strain in Croatia

There is still no information on the number of cases of the new British variant of coronavirus in Croatia but that is because sequencing being conducted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is slow, the director of Zagreb's infectious diseases hospital,  Alemka Markotić, said, adding that in most EU countries the British variant accounts for 20 to 70% of new infections.

"We need to be aware that it is certainly present in a higher percentage and we need to be cautious," said Markotić. 

A vaccination platform being prepared, should be uploaded in a few days

Health Minister Vili Beroš said that a platform for immunisation will be available for citizens to register for vaccination, adding that 4,000 citizens registered during a test run.

The system should be available in a few days, said Beroš.

Capak said that so far 184,076 vaccine doses had been used and that 125,771 people had been inoculated, with 58,305 having received both doses.

The HALMED medicines agency has received 991 reports of side effects, with 849 referring to the Pfizer vaccine, 52 to the Moderna vaccine and 88 to the AstraZeneca vaccine, he said.

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - In the past 24 hours 688 new coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia, twice as many as the day before, and 15 COVID-19 patients have died, the national COVID response team said on Wednesday.

Currently there are 2,679 active cases, including 791 hospitalised patients, of whom 63 are on ventilators, and 12,218 people are self-isolating.

To date 1,321,336 people have been tested for the virus, including 7,763 in the past 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the new virus was first registered in Croatia, 241,048 people have been infected, 5,477 have died and 232,892 have recovered, including 195 in the past 24 hours.

February the 24th, 2021 - Many questions are flying around when it comes to the vaccination process here in Croatia. With many on the list and with things moving frustratingly slowly, there is a lot of frustration with what many feel should be a simple process. Do I ask my GP? Where do I sign up? Mass vaccinations are happening in Zagreb now, so how do I get in? To make things more simple, a Croatian COVID-19 vaccination website has been set up.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this past Tuesday, a Croatian COVID-19 vaccination registration website was launched on a trial basis where citizens and legal residents can apply for their coronavirus vaccination. It is in operation from 06:00 to 21:00 and officially begins operating today. On Tuesday, applications could also be made from 18:00 to 21:00, and applications for vaccination made at that time will have been duly received.

The Croatian COVID-19 vaccination registration website cijepise.zdravlje.hr has, as stated, now started its trial operation, through which those interested can apply for vaccination against the novel coronavirus.

As previously mentioned, the site was in running but in its test phase on Tuesday, but despite that, people have already managed to sign up and any application made on that day will have been logged. There is also an explanation on the page about who should be vaccinated, about those who have already had the virus and what they should do, and the necessary information that should be entered when making an application for vaccination.

An OIB or MBO (the number of the insured person from their health insurance card) and their date of birth are sufficient for registration. Those who don't have internet access to access the Croatian COVID-19 vaccination registration website for whatever reason are free to register for vaccination via the toll-free number: 0800 0011.

Please note: If you access the website and come to a screen stating that the official opening of the website is coming soon, just bookmark the page and keep checking back.

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ZAGREB, 23 February 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Tuesday that Croatia was slowly but surely entering the second stage of COVID-19 vaccination, covering older people with chronic conditions.

Speaking to the press at a vaccination point in Zagreb, Beroš said he was "sure that such mass vaccination points will absolutely support the realisation of our vaccination plan and programme."

He said vaccination points were "necessary, perhaps not at the moment because we still don't have the quantities we are expecting."

Beroš said larger vaccine quantities would enhance attempts to vaccinate priority groups and underlined the plan to vaccinate over 50% of the adult population by summer. "That's realistic and I think we can make it happen if sufficient vaccine quantities arrive."

"Such mass vaccination is an easier way to organise and manage vaccine quantities, Beroš said, adding that the epidemiological situation was "relatively satisfactory."

"In terms of the seven-day average of new infections per million inhabitants, Croatia is second (in the EU) after Denmark" with the lowest incidence.

Beroš went on to say that a commission checking hospital documentation on vaccination was meeting today following reports of out-of-turn vaccination.

Commenting on a survey showing that over 15,000 health workers would not be vaccinated, the minister said he was confident that doctors believed in scientific methods and vaccination.

"However, there are many non-health workers in hospitals. Directors have been instructed to influence everyone, not by coercing, of course, but by explaining the need for vaccination."

Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) Krunoslav Capak recalled that family doctors in Zagreb began vaccinating their patients yesterday.

Speaking at the same vaccination point, he said, "This is a contribution to show what we can do and how we will organise vaccination in future when we have bigger quantities which, unfortunately, are still not arriving."

He said that as many people at risk of serious illness as possible should be vaccinated. "After that we will begin vaccinating the general population, younger people without underlying conditions. We hope we will succeed in vaccinating 50% of the population... by June."

Capak said a vaccination registration platform would be launched soon and that it would significantly facilitate vaccination.

He said that in future people would be called to come to be vaccinated so as to avoid crowds. He added that the HZJZ vaccination clinic was demolished in the March 2020 earthquake and that at the moment they could not vaccinate more than 30-40 people daily.

Epidemiologist Bernard Kaić said bars with outdoor terraces could reopen on 1 March. Capak added that he thought there were no obstacles to holding a broader debate on the matter and to allowing them to reopen.

Vjekoslav Jeleč, head of the Zagreb city health office, said about 500 people in the capital were vaccinated against COVID every day.

ZAGREB, 23 February 2021 - In the past 24 hours 343 new coronavirus cases and 13 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis response team said on Tuesday.

Currently there are 2,201 active cases, including 786 hospitalised patients, of whom 67 are on ventilators, and 11,384 people are self-isolating.

To date 1,313,573 people have been tested for the new virus, including 6,879 in the past 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the virus was first registered in Croatia, 240,360 people have been infected, including 5,462 who have died and 232,697 who have recovered, of whom 240 in the past 24 hours.