ZAGREB, 15 Nov 2021 -  Croatia has registered 1,135 new coronavirus cases and 55 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Monday.

Currently, 2,338 persons are being treated in hospitals, 287 of whom are on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, 3,602 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 1,135 (nearly one-third) have tested positive.

There are 34,062 active cases in the country. A total of 24,145 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of the infection was confirmed in the country, 539,887 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 9,936 have died.

A total of 6,566 doses of the vaccine were administrated on Sunday, of which 5,127 were the first dose.

The COVID vaccine has been administered to 50.48 percent of the total population or 60.33 percent of the adult population. A total of 1,859,418 people have been fully vaccinated, which is 54.96 percent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 14 Nov, 2021 - The Homeland Movement said on Sunday it supported protests against "attempts to forcibly introduce vaccination and blackmail via so-called COVID certificates," adding that many of its members have joined in the protests and will not agree to segregation and first- and second-class citizens.

The opposition party said that under the Council of Europe's Resolution 2361, vaccination is not mandatory and no one must be discriminated against for not getting vaccinated.

It is hypocritical and politically rotten to hear the national COVID-19 crisis management team and the prime minister claim that there is no coercion against unvaccinated citizens or those who refuse to get tested, while on the other hand they are being fired because of "so-called" COVID certificates and prevented from exercising their right to work, access state institutions, free movement and many other human and civil rights, the party said.

Every citizen should have the right to choose whether to get vaccinated, the party said, adding that it would do everything at its disposal to prevent mandatory vaccination.

The Homeland Movement said it welcomed the Croatian Bishops Conference's objection to forced vaccination.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's policy of stability culminated in his statement that mass vaccination is important also for raising Croatia's credit rating, the party said.

Correlating the credit rating and people's health is a continuation of the policy of ridiculing common sense, whose victims are all Croatian citizens, whether they have been vaccinated or not, it added.

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ZAGREB, 14 Nov, 2021 - On Saturday 28,170 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Croatia, including a record-high 19,198 with the first dose, the Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) said on Sunday, adding that 50.35% of the total population, including 60.18% of adults, have received the first dose to date.

On Saturday 2,359 persons received a second dose and 6,613 a booster shot.

HZJZ director Krunoslav Capak called on the rest of the population to get vaccinated, notably those with chronic illnesses.

The City of Zagreb has the highest number of people who have received the first vaccine dose, 58.9% of its total population, including 70.6% of adults, as well as the highest number of people who have completed vaccination, 53.2% of its total population, including 64.1% of adults.

Also, 87.65% of those aged 70-74 have received the first dose, as have 74.8% of those aged 65 and over. In the latter age group, 69.6% have received two doses.

Bjelovar-Bilogora County has the lowest number of vaccinations, with 42.1% of its population having received the first and 37.9% two doses, followed by Zadar County with 42% and 38.9%, respectively, Šibenik-Knin County with 42.4% and 39.3%, and Split-Dalmatia County with 42.5% and 38.2%.

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ZAGREB, 14 Nov, 2021 - In the last 24 hours 4,151 coronavirus cases and 41 COVID deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national crisis management team said on Sunday.

There are 38,631 active cases, including 2,219 hospitalised patients, of whom 277 are on ventilators, while 27,658 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 538,752 coronavirus cases to date, including 9,881 fatalities, while 490,240 persons have recovered from COVID, including 5,474 in the last 24 hours.

To date 3,271,631 persons have been tested for the virus, with 11,162 in the last 24 hours, and 50.35% of the population has been vaccinated, including 60.18% of adults, of whom 54.91% fully.

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November the 14th, 2021 - As the list of institutions and locations that will only be able to visited if the visitor possesses a Croatian covid pass gradually widens, the powers that be have released a full list of locations where people can be tested for the novel virus and where people can obtain a Croatian covid pass if they don't own one yet.

The vaccination rollout across the country has ramped up recently with record numbers of Croatia's residents turning up for either their first or second doses of the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 at various vaccination points located nationwide. Perhaps this is owing to heightened concern at the climbing infection rate, or perhaps it is because the National Civil Protection Directorate intends to implement the much wider use of the controversial Croatian covid pass as of Monday the 15th of November. It's more likely the latter.

As the 15th of this month approaches, many have decided to make their lives easier as it seems that a negative test result will also not be enough to grant an individual a pass by the time the beginning of next year rolls around if things continue to go south in regard to infection rates.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, HZZO's Jelena Curac spoke about the situation at a recently held regular press conference of the National Civil Protection Directorate, in which she stated that over 6,500 new institutions which can offer people a Croatian covid pass. These are primarily GP's surgeries, pediatric and dental surgeries and more over 460 existing locations in which around 20,000 people are employed.

Even though the aforementioned change in January, in which a negative test result will no longer be enough to obtain a pass is still very much a possibility, at the moment, anyone who comes to be tested in one of the listed laboratories or institutions can get an EU digital covid certificate/Croatian covid pass, and all of the additional details on obtaining a certificate can be found by clicking here.

The list of test sites, which will be regularly updated and divided up into individual cities can be found here.

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November 14, 2021 - According to Krunoslav Capak, director of HZJZ, 28,170 people were vaccinated, of whom 19,198 received the first dose, thus setting a new record of vaccination with the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in autumn.

A new record of vaccination in autumn with the first doses was set in Croatia yesterday, the Croatian Institute of Public Health announced on its website, reports HRT News. 28,170 people were vaccinated, of whom 19,198 received the first dose. The second dose was received by 2,359 people and the third by 6,613 people. Thus, the total number of persons who received the first dose since the beginning of vaccination is 2,043,475, which is 50.35% of the total population. Of those vaccinated, 2,022,551 are adults, bringing the share of vaccinated adults to 60.18%, according to the HZJZ. 

''I thank all our fellow citizens who decided to get vaccinated and we invite everyone else to get vaccinated. We can now conclude that there are more of those who have been vaccinated than those who have not yet decided to take that step. We especially call for vaccination of all those with chronic diseases. Citizens often ask doctors at checkpoints if they can be vaccinated due to the diseases they have and due to previous allergic reactions. Chronic diseases are precisely the reason for priority vaccination: if you have chronic diseases, the more you need to be vaccinated immediately. If you are unsure, bring your medical records for vaccination. There is a doctor at each vaccination point who will study what it is about on the spot before the vaccination. Related to allergies, even a severe previous allergic reaction to medications in the vast majority of cases only requires that the person stays in the vaccination for a little longer after vaccination under the supervision of a doctor (30 minutes instead of 15 minutes). Food and pollen allergies are not important when getting vaccinated and everyone can be vaccinated. Health barriers (contraindications) for vaccination due to which a person cannot be vaccinated have a very small number of people, less than 2 percent of the population judging by the countries where more than 98% of the population is vaccinated'', said the director of the HZJZ Krunoslav Capak.

"The highest coverage of vaccinated with the first dose was achieved in the City of Zagreb (58.9% of the total population, or 70.6% of the adult population), and the completed vaccination was also achieved in the City of Zagreb (53.2% of the total population, ie 64, 1% of the adult population), helping to set a new record of vaccination during the autumn season in Croatia.

The share of vaccinated increases from lower to higher age groups up to the age of 70-74, and at the age of 70-74 the highest share of vaccinated is 87.65% for the first dose. 638,318 persons (74.8%) with one dose and 594,036 persons (69.6%) with two doses were vaccinated'', the statement said.

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ZAGREB, 13 Nov, 2021 - Croatia has registered 6,315 new coronavirus cases and 66 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Saturday.

Currently, there are 39,995 active COVID cases in the country, including 2,107 persons who are being treated in hospitals, 269 of whom are on ventilators. A total of 29,246 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first infection was confirmed in the country, 534,601 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 9,840 have died and 484,766 have recovered, including 6,100 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,260,469 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including 14,404 in the last 24 hours.

As of 12 November, 3,817,390 doses of COVID vaccine have been administered, and 49.88 per cent of the total population, or 59.63 per cent of the adult population, have been vaccinated. A total of 2,024,193 people have received at least one dose and 1,851,543 have been fully vaccinated, which is 54.73 per cent of the adult population.

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November the 12th, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has discussed the introduction of the wider use of the Croatian covid pass which is set to come into force next week. Questions were also asked about the potential for their introduction in cafes, restaurants and other catering and hospitality facilities.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Plenkovic pointed out that today, the Croatian Civil Protection Directorate will hold a conference to talk in more detail about the previously announced introduction of the Croatian covid pass in state and public services from Monday.

“Vaccination is free, testing and obtaining a Croatian covid pass is free. The state, which is our common money, has made everything available to people, and it's now up to them to use it,'' said the Prime Minister, before adding that we have coronavirus vaccines, and that he's once again asking everyone to please get vaccinated and protect themselves and others.

He also commented on whether covid passes will be introduced in private companies as well as public and state bodies.

"We have to take care of everything, we need to make sure that people can continue to go to work, that production continues, that traffic works and that educational institutions remain in operation. These are the fourth elements that are most important to the government at this moment in time. Everything else that is economically important, from catering and hospitality to shopping malls, are all important but they aren't the same as the above. It's the choice of each of us as individuals whether to go where there are a lot of people around, where it could be crowded, stuffy and loud,'' he said.

To the announcements and speculation circulating that the Croatian covid pass could be introduced in cafes, Plenkovic replied that "that will certainly not be the case''.

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš warned on Thursday that the Delta plus variant of coronavirus was 10% more infectious than the Delta variant and that it had appeared in three locations in Croatia as record high numbers of COVID deaths are being reported, urging citizens to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Delta Plus appeared last week in Croatia and so far it has been reported in Čakovec, Split and Zagreb, Beroš said at a government session, noting that this was an additional reason to get vaccinated.

It is of critical importance for citizens to get the booster dose as soon as possible so they can get maximum protection against the existing and new variants of the novel virus, he said, adding that the third dose was particularly important in areas with a large number of new infections.

Large number of new cases, vaccination records

Beroš went on to say that Croatia was registering needlessly high numbers of new infections, hospitalisations and fatalities, as well as vaccination records. On Wednesday alone, more than 27,000 vaccine doses were administered, including 16,000 that were administered as first shots. In the past 24 hours, the number of new cases among those tested was 42.48%.

So far, 58.67% of the adult population has been vaccinated, Beroš said, adding that 61,356 people had received the booster dose.

Mobile teams have vaccinated 49% of elderly persons whom they had contacted, an increase of 25% from the week before, he said.

COVID certificates not individual rights but protection of life, health

"COVID certificates, testing, compliance with epidemiological measures and vaccination are not about individual rights and freedoms but about a common response to the need to protect the lives and health of citizens in the new circumstances," the minister said, noting that between 1 June and 4 November  2,635,968 COVID-19 certificates had been issued.

Even though hospitals have been restricting non-essential procedures, Beroš said that so far "the provision of healthcare to all emergency and priority patients has been unobstructed at all stages of the epidemic."

The ministry has therefore asked the Health Insurance Institute to analyse the capacity and need for diagnostic procedures and treatment for cancer patients as well as the possibility and need for additional procedures to be carried out by private providers of medical services.

"This is a precautionary measure aimed at securing the highest possible availability of medical care for all non-COVID patients with serious illnesses," he said.

Team to make decision on mandatory COVID-19 certificates on Friday 

The head of the national coronavirus crisis management team, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, said that the team would tomorrow make new decisions on the obligation to get tested for coronavirus as a precondition for work and provision of services, the exemption being persons with EU digital certificates.

He recalled that due to the worsened epidemiological situation in the country on 5 November restrictions on gatherings and stricter anti-epidemic rules were introduced, to stay in force until 30 November.

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - In the last 24 hours 6,987 coronavirus cases and 66 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national crisis management team said on Thursday.

This is the highest number of deaths in a day since 28 December, when there were 68.

There are 38,089 active cases, including 2,008 hospitalised patients, of whom 257 are on ventilators, while 28,346 persons are in self-isolation.

To date 3,230,998 persons have been tested for the virus, including 16,448 in the last 24 hours, and 49.06% of the total population has been vaccinated, including 58.67% of adults, of whom 54.33% fully. 

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