ZAGREB, 7 Nov 2021 - Croatia has registered 4,159 new coronavirus cases and 50 deaths in the last 24 hours, the national COVID-19 response team said on Sunday morning.

Currently, there are 32,000 active cases in the country. Among them are 1,848 people who are receiving hospital treatment and 248 of them are on ventilators. A total of 26,615 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 501,327 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 9,500 have died and 459,827 have recovered, including 3,798 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,180,957 people have been tested for COVID-19, including 9,776 in the last 24 hours. A total of 3,690,148 doses of vaccine have been administered, with 48.02 percent of the total population, or 57.46 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated.

As of Saturday, 1,948,738 people have received at least one dose and 1,820,138 have been fully immunized, which is 53.81 percent of the adult population.

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November 7, 2021 - There is a growing number of Russians vaccinated in Croatia since the Russian Sputnik vaccine is yet to be approved by the European Union. 

Russian citizens flocked to a small vaccination point in Zagreb's Kajzerica neighborhood on Tuesday of last week, reports Jutarnji List.

While vaccinations were done at that location from 8 am to 6 pm, those in line were redirected to the Fair around noon because Kajzerica could not handle the number of people. At that time, a decision was made that vaccination without notice in Kajzerica would be allowed only to Croatian citizens and foreigners residing in Croatia.

The interest in vaccination at the HZZO vaccination point was so great that the workers had to go out and look for Croatian citizens, who, as assumed, have a vaccination advantage over Russians in the country. 

"When I came to work in the morning, there was a large line of Russian citizens. They came even before we opened and waited. They started coming last week," said Kristina Tomašić, the head of the Kajzerica vaccination location. She emphasized that there is only one doctor who vaccinates, so there are big crowds.

The main reason for Russians coming to this Zagreb neighborhood is that Sputnik, the Russian vaccine, has not been approved by the European Union, so it is impossible to issue a Covid-certificate necessary for work or travel.

"Our vaccine is not approved in the world, and that's why I'm here. By the way, I am a sailor, and I need the vaccine for work," said Aleksandar (30). He came to Zagreb from Novgorod, and this will be his second dose of the European vaccine. He was first injected in France. Aleksandar revealed that he came to Zagreb alone and that no agency mediated his arrival.

Viktoria (22) came to Zagreb from Moscow, and like Aleksandar, she wants to have the approved vaccine. She plans to travel the world and can't at the moment without self-isolation.

"Today, I will take the first dose, but I will return to Zagreb for the second. I want to travel but not be in self-isolation. That's why I'm here," said Viktoria. She will stay in Zagreb for four days and stated that she came alone.

"I read about agencies organizing group visits. But I didn’t choose that. I don't even know the people who came here through an agency," Viktoria added.

Dmitri (35) also came to Croatia on his own. He went on a long journey by car but was accompanied by friends on his travels. 

"I am here because I need a European vaccine. I have already taken two doses of Sputnik, and this will be my first vaccine," reveals Dmitri. He added that of all the places, he decided on Croatia because "it is easy to get vaccinated there."

In the end, Dmitri did not get vaccinated at the Kajzerica location. Namely, Russian citizens were redirected to the Fair around noon due to the crowds. When the news spread that they must have at least residence in Croatia to be vaccinated at the Kajzerica location, they were visibly dissatisfied. Finally, however, they headed to the largest vaccination point in Zagreb - the fair. 

"I asked them to move there. We are too small a point for so many people. Our citizens are a priority in vaccination because that is the only way we can improve the epidemiological picture," explained Tomšić. She warned that they had only one vaccination room, and they could not grant the 15-minute observation period if people got sick after getting the jab. 

"They have to stay after receiving the vaccine. What if they fall when they come out?" Tomšić wondered. She said that the workers went out and looked for Croatian citizens who had come to get vaccinated at one point.

Tomšić said that vaccinating foreign citizens without residence in Croatia will not be prevented at their checkpoint in advance. All subsequent decisions will be made daily, depending on whether their capacity can withstand such requests.

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November the 7th, 2021 - Six KBC Zagreb (Rebro) employees have been fired after refusing to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, as well as for refusing to be regularly tested for the virus' presence.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is once again biting hard here in Europe as the season changes and people begin spending more and more time indoors as a result of the colder weather. Infections here in Croatia have climbed to numbers never seen before during the entire pandemic and new measures are now in force to try to combat the rapidly escalating situation.

Hospitals are fearing the same situation we experienced last year and some are already having to make enormous alterations to the way things function to try to deal with the current wave of infections, which are alarmingly high. The vaccination rate in Croatia is still very poor, and a lack of respirators for those with a more severe clinical picture is once again a huge concern. 

Most medical staff across Croatia have been fully vaccinated, some have recently accepted their third dose, all with the aim of protecting the most vulnerable and unwell people in society they are typically dealing with. That isn't the case for all, however, and given the fact that vaccination against coronavirus isn't mandatory, some have refused. Those who refuse must then agree to be very regularly tested for the presence of the virus, but some have even refused that. As a result, they've lost their jobs.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, three nurses, a medical technician, an assistant and an administrator were fired from their employment positions at KBC Zagreb because they did not want to be vaccinated or tested, as was announced on Friday.

“The reason for the dismissal of these individuals is their refusal to be vaccinated or, alternatively, be tested for COVID-19 twice a week. They, after being told they could not come to work without a COVID certificate, used their rights to leave, and partly went on sick leave. However, when they exhausted all of their legal 'leave' possibilities, and still didn't want to be vaccinated or tested, they were handed an extraordinary dismissal,'' said prof.dr. Ante Corusic, the director of KBC Zagreb, in conversation with Jutarnji list.

Corusic also confirmed that the process of terminating the employment contract for four more employees is underway for the exact same reason.

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November the 7th, 2021 - Sali is a beautiful place on a famously stunning island, Dugi otok. It once led in terms of coronavirus infections, which isn't exactly the best statistic, but now things have been turned on their heads and Sali is leading in terms of the vaccination rate.

As Morski writes, according to recent data published by the Croatian Institute of Public Health, one municipality in Zadar County is the absolute record holder in terms of the vaccination of its residents. In Sali on Dugi otok, a municipality with an official census of 1,900 people, 64.3 percent of them have already received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

At the beginning of the pandemic, it didn't look like that, quite the opposite in fact. After several group celebrations and one birthday, the infection rate escalated, and the number of those infected in Sali rose to as many as 39 in one single day. Every other house in Sali had its residents put into self-isolation back in those days, writes local portal Zadarski.hr.

In addition, they also had a priest, Tomislav Vlahovic, who preached from the altar that ''coronavirus doesn't exist and that true believers cannot be infected'', which is absolutely mind-boggling to say the least. He refused to listen to the instructions of the Archbishop and to implement the measures of the Civil Protection Directorate, and he encouraged others to follow his path. Some people unfortunately even listened to him. That's why just one year ago, the church choir became the second major focus in this small town.

''Coronavirus really went hard here in Sali, people saw first hand how dangerous and contagious it is. Then, when that first wave subsided, the tourist season came from which most of the islanders live, so then they started to act very responsibly. We were among the first to have a testing point on the island. Of the 500 tourists tested before leaving, none were positive. As for the islanders, ten days ago we had five to six cases a day, now that number is between two and three positive people. So, despite all these black statistics, the number of infected people in Sali is declining,'' said the mayor of Sali, Zoran Morovic, who personally, together with the local island Civil Protection Directorate and medical staff, got involved in the vaccination campaign.

An uncomfortable situation unfortunately unfolded when it seemed that the clinic in Zman could have been left without a doctor as the virus ran wild. Sali asked for help from the Institute of Public Health, which sent its team down and out into the field with the head of the epidemiological service, Dr. Alan Medic.

''They've been here six or seven times for the people on the island, especially at the time of the pandemic, and the availability of vaccines was crucial. We were all committed to their arrivals: we kept people informed, prepared lists so that by the time the team came to the island everything would be ready for vaccination to be carried out. I even transported the medical team in my car a couple of times from place to place, to make everything go smoothly. I have to tell you, it was with joy because the medical teams were great, everything was done really flawlessly. Whoever wanted to get vaccinated got vaccinated. And we all wanted to! It’s important to say that there weren’t any more severe cases among the younger people except for one guy who ended up needing oxygen. He wasn't vaccinated. But, he managed to pull himself out of it, it ended well,'' said Morovic for Zadarski.hr.

Bibinje is the worst...

Overall, the share of vaccinated people in Zadar County in any part of it is not lower than twenty percent. Vaccination of less than thirty percent has been recorded in Bibinje (with only 20.76 percent), followed by Obrovac, Stankovci, Policnik, Galovac, Sveti Filip i Jakov, Pakostane, Skabrnja, Sukosan and Polaca. Zadar is brighter orange on that map with 35.42 percent of the local population vaccinated.

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ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Saturday that all Croatian citizens should get vaccinated against COVID-19 as that would certainly reduce the rate of new infections, the number of hospitalizations, and consequently the number of deaths, also advising people to get a booster dose.

Plenković was speaking to the press after visiting Zagreb's Dubrava hospital, where he and Health Minister Vili Beroš met with the hospital's management and the national coronavirus response team and visited the intensive care unit.

Plenković said that Croatia had sufficient quantities of COVID-19 vaccines, adding that vaccination would reduce the number of deaths and infections. He once again appealed to people who had not been immunized to get vaccinated.

He said that the data of the past few days was encouraging as it indicated a growing interest among the citizens in getting vaccinated. In the last three days alone, 23,000 people have received their first shot, he added.

The prime minister stressed that Croatia had dedicated medical staff and an abundance of vaccines, stressing that people had a responsibility towards contributing to this collective effort.

"Anyone who thinks that the situation is not difficult should visit this hospital for 30 seconds and they would immediately change their mind," Plenković said.

Asked to comment on the statement by right-wing MP Zlatko Hasanbegović that he will not get vaccinated or tested and that it is his right to have the virus, Plenković said that the statement is idiotic. He added that being a member of Parliament does not give Hasanbegović the right to talk nonsense.

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ZAGREB, November 6, 2021 - In the past 24 hours Croatia has registered 7,094 new coronavirus cases and 50 deaths, Koronavirus.hr reported on Saturday.

That is the highest number of new cases yet in one day since the outbreak of the pandemic. The record until now was 6,932, which was registered on Friday.

There are currently 31,689 active cases in the country, including 1,786 hospitalized patients, and 234 are on ventilators.

At the same time, there are 30,256 people self-isolating.

Since February 25, 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 497,168 people infected with the new coronavirus have been recorded so far, of whom 9,450 have died, a total of 456,029 have recovered, of which 3,896 in the last 24 hours.

To date, a total of 3,171,181 people have been tested, of which 15,498 in the last 24 hours.

As of November 5, 2021, 3,675,807 doses of vaccine were consumed, and 47.78% of the total population and 57.19% of the adult population were vaccinated. On November 5, 2021, 17,334 doses of vaccine were consumed, of which 8,819 persons were vaccinated with the first dose. 

As of November 5, 2021, 1,939,061 people were vaccinated with at least one dose, of which 1,816,377 people (1,696,577 people vaccinated with two doses and 119,800 people vaccinated with Jannsen) were vaccinated, which is 53.71% of the adult population.

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November 6, 2021 - ''We are not far from a situation when we will have to choose who will take a respirator'', warns pulmonologist Saša Srića, as he announces that many Croatian hospitals have already reached 90% percent of their capacity as the number of positive cases continues to grow.

Minister of Health Vili Beroš stated on Saturday that there are more than seven thousand newly infected with coronavirus in Croatia today, we are at the peak of the fourth wave, and that we do not know what awaits us.

Record numbers worried many, and pulmonologist Saša Srića, who was a guest on the show New Day on the H1 television station, also spoke on the subject, reports Net.hr.

A potentially catastrophic scenario

"It is a worrying situation that at the moment can, given the trends, represent a potentially catastrophic scenario. The measures that have been adopted are overdue. These measures that come into force, which from today, and again from 14 November, is a big step back. A lot of time will pass, I think it could have been faster.

I think that the measures are not adequate and should be extended to other sectors. The virus does not know the difference whether it is in schools, cafes, restaurants, shopping malls. The measures should have been much stricter", expressed Srića, and continued:

"Constant balancing and the system 'we will not resent anyone, let's be good to everyone' has cost us such situations, such epidemiological pictures. And what we need to fear the most, the overload of the health care system, is already present".

Pulmonologist Saša Srića (Photo: Robert Anic/PIXSELL)

"When we talk about the younger population, compared to previous waves, there is now a much larger number of the younger population. The delta strain attacks the younger population more for one reason: it is poorly vaccinated. The theory 'it won't hurt me, we are young and healthy' is an escape from the truth, an escape from reality, he emphasized and continued:

Fear for the health system

Young people like to get together, that’s logical, but we need to be aware of the current situation. The younger population who end up with a more severe clinical picture are, as a rule, almost all unvaccinated", said Srića, adding that so far we have not had a death of a person under the age of 50 who was vaccinated and in full health.

"We are already in over 90 percent of capacity in many Croatian hospitals, and only now are we taking care of those from two weeks ago when we had two thousand infected. What will be in the next two to three weeks?

I am afraid that with such a trend, the health care system, despite the fact that we hear some optimistic assessments from the Headquarters, will hardly survive. Even estimating the collapse of the health care system and Croatian hospitals in two to three weeks is not something that is unrealistic'', said Srića.

"I don't think the numbers will fall for a while. The winter is still going on and will last. I don't think we're at the peak yet, and that's especially worrying. What worries me the most is when the situation starts to collapse. We are wondering how many places we still have, not to mention the situation we will have in ten days. That is why I say that the measures are too weak", said Srića and answered the question: what if there is no place in Croatian hospitals, are there any protocols?

"We haven't worked out the protocols, I think we need them. We should first of all try to find enough capacity. The capacities of the beds and respirators are, I am convinced, not completely spent, I think there will be too few people. Many people are already exhausted, tired, the possibility of error is present.

And you want to get into a situation where you choose to take a respirator, you don't… We must not get into a situation like that, and I am afraid that we are not far from there", pointed out Srića.

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.

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November 6, 2021 - 'It is my right to have a virus, I did not and I will not be vaccinated or tested', said Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic, as he announces that he will not comply with the new measures imposed by the government, and will stop attending parliament indefinitely.

As reported by Net.hr, Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic said after the introduction of new measures that include covid confirmations that he would no longer come to Parliament.

"That is impossible. Even if the deputies themselves made such a decision by a two-thirds majority, it would be marginal, and to prevent us from coming to Parliament on the basis of an administrative decision of some headquarters is completely unacceptable. Someone will certainly file a constitutional complaint because of that. The Constitutional Court will rule. I have not and will not be vaccinated, and I do not want to be tested. It is my right to have the virus. As long as these measures are in force, my foot will not step into Parliament'', Hasanbegovic told Novi list.

Measures apply to everyone

Let us remind you, after the Headquarters yesterday prescribed that COVID certificates are valid for all civil and public servants, Parliament Secretary Davor Orlović said that these measures would also be applied to MPs. Simply put, anyone who wants to be in Parliament will have to be vaccinated, tested, or recovered from the virus.

"It is known what will be the way to enter the Parliament building, either on the basis of COVID certificates or the appropriate test. There is absolutely no difference between officials and employees. No details are known yet, next week the Parliamentary Presidency will discuss new measures'', Orlović said.

''We can’t separate MPs from others'', he added.

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.

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ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš told the national radio (HR) on Saturday morning that over 7,000 new cases of the infection with coronavirus had been registered in the last 24 hours.

Croatia is now at the peak of the new wave of the pandemic and unfortunately, today we have registered over 7,000 new cases.

The minister declined to predict the scenarios for the future.

Let us do our best, and the best thing is to get vaccinated and comply with the basic anti-epidemic measures, said Beroš.

He said that the hospitals were not under strain such was the case in the previous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called for responsible behavior of all so as to prevent an excessive burden on the healthcare system.

Vaccination reduces possible reservoirs for the virus, he said, reiterating the benefits of immunization such as fewer chances of getting seriously ill.

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, 5 Nov 2021 - In the past 24 hours Croatia has registered 6,932 new coronavirus cases and 36 deaths, the national COVID response team reported on Friday.

That is the highest number of new cases yet in one day since the outbreak of the pandemic. The record until now was 6,310, which was registered on Thursday.

There are currently 28,541 active cases in the country, including 1,711 hospitalised patients, with 231 hooked on ventilators.

At the same time, there are 26,362 people self-isolating.

Since the start of the epidemic in Croatia in 25 February 2020, there have been 490,074 cases and 9,400 people have died as a consequence. A total of 452,133 people have recovered, of whom 3,983 in the past 24 hours.

To date, a total of 3,155,683 people have been tested, including 15,079 in the past 24 hours..

As of Wednesday evening, a total of 3,658,686 vaccine doses have been administered, with 47.57% of the total population or 56.94% of the adult population having received at least one dose. On 4 November, 17,038 doses were administered. A total of 7,798 people received their first shot of vaccine on Thursday..

A total of 1,990,471 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine while 1,811,801 are fully vaccinated, or 53.57% of the adult population.

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