ZAGREB, 2 Dec 2021 - The Bridge party's parliamentary deputy, Marija Selak Raspudić, on Thursday called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs to ensure that undergraduates can undergo free testing for coronavirus so that they can attend university classes without additional costs.

The decision that it is up to faculties to decide on their own whether students are required to have COVID certificates to enter the premises of the faculties has caused chaos on the ground, the MP said.

She explained that in the event of the COVID-19 certificate mandate, unvaccinated students would have to pay for their coronavirus tests, which would be an additional cost to them.

"I call on Prime Minister Plenković and Minister Fuchs to take responsibility for the anti-epidemic measures adopted by the para-political body -- the COVID-19 crisis management team -- and to pay for coronavirus tests for students who have not been vaccinated so that they can attend classes without additional costs, which they can't afford and which puts them at a disadvantage in relation to other citizens," Selak Raspudić told a news conference.

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ZAGREB, 2 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 13,928 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Croatia and of them, 38.3% (5,341) have returned positive, whereas another 76 COVID patients have died, bringing the COVID-related death toll to 11,043, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

In the last 15 days, the coronavirus infection has claimed roughly 1,000 lives in the country.

Currently, there are 32,603 active cases, and of them 2,391 are receiving hospital treatment, including 311 patients on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of infection with the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, 619,255 persons have caught the virus and 575,609 of them have recovered from the infection, including 4,676 in the last 24 hours.

So far, 54% of the total population have been vaccinated, and 57.63% of adults have been fully vaccinated.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 1 December, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 14,252 coronavirus tests have been conducted and 40% of them, that is 5,709, have turned out to be positive, while 68 COVID patients have died, raising the death toll to 10,967, Croatia's CCOVID-19 crisis management team reported on Wednesday.

There are currently, 32,014 active cases  in the country, and 2,454 of them are receiving hospital treatment, including 312 COVID patients placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, over 3.46  million tests have been conducted, and they have showed that 613,914 people have caught the virus. Of them, 570,933 have recovered, including 3,064 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

To date, 53.90% of the total population, or 64.32% of the adult population have got vaccinated against this infection.

Also, 57.41% of adult Croatians have fully been vaccinated.

ZAGREB, 29 Nov 2021 - In the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 1,031 new cases of coronavirus and 67 COVID-related deaths, the national COVID response team reported on Monday.

There are currently 29,891 active cases, including 2,598 hospitalized patients, 308 of whom are on ventilators, while 21,971 people are self-isolating.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a total of 604,347 cases of coronavirus have been registered and the death toll has climbed to 10,826, while a total of 563,630 people have recovered, including 5,399 over the past 24 hours.

A total of 3,437,227 tests have been conducted to date, including 3,466 in the past 24 hours.

As of 28 November, a total of 4,115,040 doses of a vaccine has been administered, with 53.62% of the total population or 63.99% of the adult population having been vaccinated.

A total of 2,176,068 people have received at least one dose, while 1,931,878 have been fully vaccinated, which is 57.06% of the adult population.

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November the 29th, 2021 - Much like with everything else in the world, there is always a chance to exploit something and make some quick cash. Croatian covid certificates appear to be no different and have been being issued for payment.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, three middle-aged men told Jutarnji list that they had arranged for fake vaccinations with medical staff in doctor's offices in both Zagreb and Karlovac.

Four categories of citizens can currently obtain Croatian covid certificates: persons who have been vaccinated with the novel coronavirus, those who have returned a recently negative PCR test or rapid antigen test result, and all those who have recovered from COVID-19 no sooner than the eleventh day from the date of their first positive PCR test result.

That is only three groups, you might be thinking. What about the fourth one? Well, the fourth group aren't vaccinated, haven't recovered, and can't be bothered to take ''frequent'' tests, they simply purchased their Croatian covid certificates for cash.

What can be revealed is that the interlocutors of Jutarnji list are three Croatian men aged 35 to 50. One of them went through the whole process and purchased his certificate for 1000 kuna, the others didn't manage to complete the ''job'' entirely.

These Croatian covid certificates have been issued exclusively by medical staff who, in doing so, have committed the criminal offenses of the forgery of documents and the abuse of their positions and authority. The contracting authorities, as well as intermediaries in this "business", are also committing the act of forgery of documents by way of their assistance.

It is impossible to estimate the scale of this type of crime, and as things stand, it appears to be quite large - there is almost no county in Croatia with at least one office where the matter can be "sorted out".

EU digital covid certificates for foreign travel became all but mandatory not so long ago and since November the 16th, Croatian covid certificates have been mandatory for all employees in the public sector and in state and city companies, as well as for the users of these services.

The details surrounding one incident of the ''obtaining'' of a fake certificate are as follows: The nurse authorised the entering of the date of vaccinated persons into the information system, used her position and power, entered this untrue information for two persons that they were vaccinated in August, for which, through a criminal investigation, it was determined that they were not vaccinated at all.''

The procedure is the same as with the usual vaccination process, except that the vaccine is "injected" into thin air and not into an arm, then the person isn't vaccinated but it is entered into the system that they have been. For this reason, such actions are practically unprovable, that is, it is very difficult to track down the perpetrators, reports Jutarnji list.

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November the 29th, 2021 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health (CNIPH) has published a press release on the new variant of the novel coronavirus, Omicron, deemed to be a variant of concern (VOC).

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Omicron, the new coronavirus variant is currently being considered potentially more dangerous because it has almost twice as many mutations as the Delta variant. Variant B.1.1.529, named Omicron, was declared a cause for concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday, placing it in the same category as the Delta variant, they said.

''Variant B 1.1.529 has more than 30 mutations on its spike protein alone. If these mutations are seen as a new possibility of increased infectivity and transmissibility, which gives the virus a greater ability to bypass immunity, both from vaccination and acquired, then it is a very complex variant with mutations that haven't been previously recorded, so it is difficult to predict the implications for the course of the pandemic and immunity. Nevertheless, experts believe that vaccines will continue to offer a high level of protection against the severe clinical picture that leads to hospitalisations and death,'' they stated.

They pointed out that the new variant is most often found in younger people (ages 18 to 34), and it is in these age groups that the lowest vaccination rate in the Republic of South Africa was recorded.

''British experts emphasise the need for vaccination based on reports received from South Africa, according to which a larger number of hospitalisations are recorded in groups of unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated persons. In addition, vaccine manufacturers have expressed the view that they will be able to quickly adapt their vaccines to the Omicron variant,'' they wrote.

The CNIPH also stated that the European Commission (EC) is proposing a procedure for a coordinated approach in limiting the spread of new variants within and across the EU.

''From an EU perspective, the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 remain a cause for concern and should be closely monitored. In order to obtain timely and accurate information on the origin and circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern or interest, it is essential that EU member states maintain or achieve a sufficiently high range of sequencing. Such a coordinated approach should include circumstances in which member states impose restrictions on movement for certain areas where the epidemiological situation is expected to deteriorate rapidly, and especially for areas that are currently seriously affected by the epidemic,'' the CNIPH said.

''In conclusion, this is a real reminder that the pandemic is far from over yet. If there’s one thing everyone can do now is this: choose your vaccine, whether it’s your first dose or second,'' the CNIPH appealed in conclusion.

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ZAGREB, 28 Nov, 2021 - The head of the Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) said on Sunday that he was surprised that participants in protests against COVID certificates included doctors, confirming the HLK had launched proceedings against doctors making claims not based on science at those protests, thus misleading the public.

"Certain steps have been taken against six doctors... sanctions range from a warning and a reprimand to the revocation of the licence," Krešimir Luetić said in an interview with the Sunday issue of the Novi List daily.

Asked if such doctors should have their licences revoked, Luetić said the HLK's Ethics Board was an independent body that would make its decision.

Doctors embittered by protests against COVID-19 certificate mandate

Asked about his view of the protests against epidemiological restrictions, vaccination and testing, Luetić said that he shared his fellow doctors' resentment about the protests.

He said that after the protest held in Zagreb last weekend, he was contacted by dozens of colleagues who were embittered as the event was in direct violation of epidemiological restrictions but also because of the messages that could be heard at the rally.

95% of doctors vaccinated

Asked about the fact that among the protesters there were also doctors and that not all protesters were uneducated people, Luetić said that he was shocked by the fact that any intellectual, particularly a doctor, would make comments that were not based on science, medical profession and statistics.

He noted, however, that around 95% of doctors had been vaccinated against coronavirus, thus showing their view of the pandemic and vaccination.

Speaking of vaccination, Luetić recalled that the HLK had already taken the position that vaccination should be mandatory in the health system.

As for the mandatory vaccination of the general population, which Austria has already opted for and some other European countries are considering, Luetić said that it would be a political decision.

"As a doctor and from the point of view of the medical sector, I think such a decision would definitely make the situation in the health system easier, and reduce the number of seriously ill people and fatalities," he said.

If you compare countries like Croatia, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands, you see that they have roughly the same number of daily infections per million inhabitants, however, compared to Croatia, those three countries have three times fewer hospitalisations and up to five times fewer fatalities, Luetić stressed.

"That is a clear indicator of how important vaccination is, and as to whether our citizens understand that, I think the answer is both yes and no," he said.

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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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November 28, 2021 - The director of the KBC Sisters of Charity, one of the most important hospitals in Zagreb, spoke about the new coronavirus strain, hospitals situation, and protests against epidemiological measures in the capital, confirming that one of those who protested is hospitalized, and another young man in Dubrava as well.

The director of KBC Sisters of Charity Hospital, Davor Vagić, commented for N1 the appearance of a new variant of the coronavirus called omicron. Scientists consider this variant the most significant so far because the vaccine could be less effective, and it also seems to spread faster than delta strains, reports Net.hr.

"I am not worried, but I am careful. We analyze all the new information we get and see what needs to be done next. It definitely shows that this virus is not harmless, it is very dangerous and one should be careful not to spread and not get worse and this is a very serious situation", said Vagić the appearance of a new strain.

The president of the Homeland Movement, Ivan Penava, said the other day that ''bioterrorists'' are entering hospitals with COVID certificates, but Vagić claims that the measures in the hospitals are appropriate at the moment.

"The system is under a lot of pressure. The biggest pressure is on employees, COVID patients are difficult patients, they have difficulty moving, they need special health care and what we see now is the biggest pressure on nursing staff because it is one of the ones we have the least. There is huge pressure on the doctor as well. These people are doing hard and responsible work and in these two years we can say that in a way they are our heroes. If we talk about doctors, about 95 percent of them are vaccinated in Croatia. There is very little transfer of the virus, we don’t even see it and we can say that in some way hospitals are safe. Occasionally a transfer may occur, but this is negligible. The COVID confirmations are absolutely good", thinks the director of KBC Sisters of Charity.

“The health care system will certainly endure, rest assured. But it will be a huge burden, that's for sure", he added.

As for another protest against epidemiological measures taking place, he says he is saddened by it. "I don't think such things are necessary and that endangers the health of people who are protesting. They endanger themselves and others. We hospitalized one person from the protest, one young person was hospitalized in Dubrava as well. People can have an opinion, and the task of the profession, media, is to report what is best, what is true, to give people key information. The patient, the person must have all possible information. In the end, they are the ones who decide. There is perhaps too little talk about responsibility'', Vagić said.

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November 27, 2021 - A new coronavirus strain was detected this week in South Africa. Referred to by the WHO as ''Omicron'', it is highly infectious and may have already reached Europe. Minister Beroš addressed the media to update on the situation in Croatia and focused the blame on the unvaccinated.

Minister of Health Vili Beroš sent a statement to the media about a new coronavirus strain that has started to spread and which the WHO called Omicron, reports Index.hr.

"We are monitoring the situation in the world and in Europe. We are in constant communication with all relevant departments in order to be maximally prepared for a new strain of the virus.

At this time, the final effect of these 30 mutations on the spike complex of the virus is still unknown, ie whether it represents an improved version of the delta virus in terms of infectivity and level of resistance to the vaccine.

The announcement of pharmaceutical companies, known from before, promises that they can adapt the vaccine in a shorter time.

But let's not forget, basic epidemiological measures are also effective against this virus: distance, masks, disinfection, ventilation, and avoidance of gathering! And against new mutations - vaccination!

It was a large pool of unvaccinated that gave life to a new strain of the virus. We’re smarter than that, it’s not too late to turn around! Let's listen to the profession, respect epidemiological measures, and get vaccinated", concluded Beroš.

In the last 24 hours 5,502 coronavirus cases and 51 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national crisis management team said on Saturday.

There are 34,553 active cases, including 2,506 hospitalized patients, of whom 324 are on ventilators, while 28,272 persons are self-isolating.

To date, 3,424,751 persons have been tested for the virus, including 13,372 in the last 24 hours.

Croatia has registered 599,977 coronavirus cases to date as well as 10,695 related deaths and 554,729 recoveries, of which 5,629 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 53.43% of the total population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, including 63.77% of adults, 56.85% of whom have completed vaccination.

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For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.