ZAGREB, 6 Oct, 2021 - Croatia registered 1,925 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours while 18 people died as a consequence, and there are currently 8,813 active cases in the country, the national COVID response team reported on Wednesday.

There are 820 hospitalised patients and 116 are on ventilators, while 16,186 people are self-isolating.

To date, 411,917 cases of contagion have been registered and 8,722 people have died, while 394,382 people have recovered. A total of 2,874,479 tests have been conducted, including 10,083 in the past 24 hours.

54.31% of the adult population vaccinated

As of Tuesday, 3,460,702 doses of vaccines had been administered, and 45.28% of the total population or 54.31% of the adult population had received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Yesterday, 8,144 people were vaccinated, of whom 5,073 received the first dose.

A total of 1,837,585 people have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 1,721,731 have been fully vaccinated, which makes up 50.97% of the adult population.

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

ZAGREB, 5 Oct 2021 -  In the past 24 hours, Croatia has conducted 9,320 coronavirus tests and 11.5% of them, that is 1,074, have returned positive, and 19 COVID patients have died, the national COVID response team reported on Tuesday.

There are currently 7,913 active cases in the country, with 823 hospitalised patients and 107 of them are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020 when the first case of COVID was registered in Croatia to date there have been a total of 409,992 positive cases to the novel coronavirus and 8,704 people died as a consequence. A total of 393,375 people recovered from the infection, with 1,215 having recovered in the past 24 hours.

There are 18,112 people self-isolating.

A total of 2,864,396 tests have been conducted to date.

So far, over 3..45 million doses of COVID vaccines have been administered with 45.17% of the total population or 54.17% of the adult population having been vaccinated.

A total of 1,832,889 have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 1,718,074 people have been fully immunised, the national COVID team said.

October the 2nd, 2021 - First it was AstraZeneca, now it's Janssen. It seems that more or less each vaccine gets a round of worrying headlines printed about it from time to time, and each suspected case of a more serious side effect causes panic. A decision has now been made on the continued use of the single-dose Janssen vaccine in Croatia following some concerning issues.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices reported that vaccination against the novel coronavirus with the single-dose Janssen vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) will continue as it has been in Croatia, because so far no reports of fatalities have been recorded in the country, while the benefits significantly outweigh any side effects.

A death report is currently being assessed in neighbouring Slovenia to determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship with the vaccine used, which hasn't yet been determined or confirmed.

HALMED states that no report of a suspected side effect with a fatal outcome for the Janssen vaccine has been received in the Republic of Croatia, and the most common side effects are mild to moderate, as they are with all of the vaccines produced so far.

A total of 144 reports of suspected side effects were received on a total of 93,240 doses of the Janssen vaccine in Croatia by the 29th of September, 2021.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions were mild to moderate in duration and lasted for several days and included a mild fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, pain at the injection site, fatigue, general weakness, weakness, back pain and limb pain. All of these are relatively common for all of the current coronavirus vaccines available, and pass quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours.

According to data collected from the European side effect database, EudraVigilance, about 15 million doses of the Janssen vaccine were received by people across the EU by the 30th of September, and they received 68 reports of suspected blood clot side effects combined with low platelet counts, of which 16 sadly came with a fatal outcome.

Blood clots are a very rare but possible side effect

The syndrome was identified by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) back in April this year as a very rare possible side effect of the vaccine and was included in the information on the product, according to HALMED.

They concluded that the benefit-risk balance of the Janssen vaccine remains unchanged and the benefits of being vaccinated with it to prevent the contraction of a more severe clinical picture of COVID-19 significantly outweighs the risk of possible side effects.

HALMED stated that all of the currently available vaccines are highly effective in protecting against the disease for which they are intended, as well as in preventing hospitalisations and deaths.

They note that HALMED and EMA will continue to monitor the safety of the Janssen vaccine in Croatia and elsewhere, as well as all other vaccines against novel virus, and will inform the public in a timely manner of any new findings.

It's worth noting that the Janssen vaccine, produced by Johnson & Johnson, is given in only one dose, making it a popular choice among many.

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

October the 2nd, 2021 - The Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) has published a set of new recommendations on its website, in which quarantine periods have been shortened and there have been some new rules made for school children.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the duration of quarantine has now been shortened from 14 back down to 10 days again, and a new recommendation for Croatian students has been introduced. They must now be tested for the novel coronavirus after each absence from school before returning back to class.

Here are the new Croatian Public Health Institute recommendations in full:

- The duration of quarantine for close contacts of patients has been reduced to ten days

- Exemption from the need for testing for persons who have recovered from coronavirus or have been fully vaccinated and who have no symptoms of the disease and have not been in close contact with an infected person has been extended to twelve months

- Healthcare professionals and staff in other institutions who come into contact with vulnerable individuals (groups) who aren't subject to quarantine must be tested by PCR immediately after having close contact with the infected person, on the seventh day after contact and on the fourteenth day after contact, regardless of their vaccination status and whether or not they have previously recovered from an infection.

- Emphasis is now being placed on the need to confirm each rapid antigen test result by PCR test, for administrative reasons, ie obtaining a digital covid confirmation, which does not mean that a positive result of a rapid antigen test isn't considered sufficient to treat a person with COVID-19 in terms of putting them into isolation and processing their contacts.

- A PCR test is recommended as the first choice of diagnostic test if the testing capacities and the specificity of the situation allow for this testing method to be used.

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 Oct 2021 - Croatia has registered 1,517 new coronavirus cases and 10 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Friday.

The number of active cases now stands at 8,990, and 738 infected persons are receiving hospital treatment, including 99 who are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 406,307 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 8,650 have died and 388,667 have recovered, including 1,392 in the last 24 hours. 23,044 people are currently self-isolating.

To date, 2,833,156 people have been tested for the virus, including 10,126 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,436,799 doses of vaccines have been administered, with 44.92 percent of the total population, or 53.89 percent of adults, having been vaccinated. 1,822,966 people have received at least one dose and 1,709,647 have been fully vaccinated, which makes up 50.62 percent of the adult population.

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October 1, 2021 - Where to find an affordable, walk-in Zagreb rapid antigen test with almost immediate results? Can we beat 16 minutes and 150 kuna?

A year ago, the only thing I seemed to write about was coronavirus. Providing life updates and several daily articles on such a depressing topic was pretty soul-destroying at times. And while the comprehensive corona coverage continues on TCN, I have largely tuned out of the latest situation, leaving it to my capable colleagues to handle. 

Being fully vaccinated, I encounter few restrictions, and I have not kept up-to-date with the latest developments on testing etc. 

So when I received an invitation to attend the premiere of the new James Bond movie last night, I asked my teenage daughter if she would like to be my plus one for the night. She did indeed, but we had a little bit of bureaucracy to jump though. As proof of vaccination or negative test was a prerequisite for all attendees, I found myself looking around for an immediate Zagreb rapid antigen test centre so that my daughter could join me at the Bond movie. 

I had assumed that the concept of walkin tests would be fairly well-established by now. A couple of friends suggested I try the Andrija Stampar Institute which was both quick and reasonably priced. So into the car we hopped and headed up the hill to northern Zagreb. 

My heart sank. A notice by the entrance that all tests needed to be booked in advance was confirmed at the gate. I had the option to walk 20 metres and sign up for an immediate PCR test, cost 450 kuna, and no, they were not aware of any other Zagreb rapid antigen test with immediate results.  

Time was not on our side. Not only did we need to get the test and the result the same day, but we also had to get home and ready for school. Perhaps I should not have been surprised, but I genuinely was at the seemingly lack of availability of such an important service. With more and more events requiring such confirmations, I thought a quick service would be more widely available. 

A little more research online and asking around at Stampar all pointed to the same solution - a walk-in test option with immediate results at Prima Nova on Nemetova Ulica 2, some 5 minutes further nother from the Andrija Stampar Institute. 

Located next to Polyclinic Aviva, Prima Nova came up trumps with outstanding service that I could only have dreamed of. There was zero queue, we were asked if we wanted to talk in Croatian, English, German, Italian or Spanish, and we were given the option of an email result or waiting 15 minutes for a hard copy. Total price 150 kuna.

Having learned that a paper in the hand is worth two in the promised email, we decided to wait. And we were soon rewarded  - just 16 minutes after taking the test, the all-important stamped hard copy of a negative test - 007, here we come. 

Prima Nova is on the right of the Polyclinic Aviva through this entrance door. Excellent service at what seems to be the quickest time and most competitive price. 

Does anyone have a better experience and we will add to this article? Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Testing 

The Zagreb Tourist Board has an up-to-date list of all the testing points in the city, including prices, waiting times, translations, and whether or not you need to order. 

For the latest news on coronavirus in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

The Total Croatia travel update also has lots of useful information on coronavirus in Croatia.

ZAGREB, 30 Sept 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has conducted 9,674 coronavirus tests, and 17.7% of them, or 1,710 have returned positive, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

There are now 8,875 active cases. Of them, 741 are hospitalized patients, including 94 placed on ventilators.

In the last 24 hours, the COVID-related death toll has increased by 12 to 8,640.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in Croatia in late February 2020, over 2.83 million tests have shown that 404,790 persons have caught the virus, and of them 387,275 have recovered, including 924 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

So far, Croatia has administered nearly 3.43 million vaccine doses, and 44.78% of the total population, or 53.73% of adult Croatians, have been vaccinated.

The share of the adult population fully vaccinated stood at 50.49% on Thursday.

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, 29 Sept, 2021 - Croatia has registered 1,911 new coronavirus cases and 14 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Wednesday.

The number of active cases now stands at 8,101, and 745 infected persons are receiving hospital treatment, including 99 who are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 403,080 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 8,628 have died and 386,351 have recovered, including 896 in the last 24 hours. 21,164 people are currently self-isolating.

To date, 2,813,356 people have been tested for the virus, including 10,148 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,419,381 doses of vaccines have been administered, with 44.66 percent of the total population, or 53.59 percent of adults, having been vaccinated. 1,812,532 people have received at least one dose and 1,700,089 have been fully vaccinated (1,606,849 people have received two vaccine doses and 93,240 have received the single-dose Jannsen vaccine), which makes up 50.34 percent of the adult population.

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

ZAGREB, 28 Sept, 2021 - The Croatian Chamber of Nurses (HKMS) has distanced itself from unscientific and unprofessional views on vaccination against COVID-19, spread by some of the nurses.

"A large number of nurses have been vaccinated, notably 72 percent of them, and the Chamber once again calls on all nurses to get vaccinated and thus protect their health and the health of their patients," the HKMS said in a statement on Tuesday.

The dissemination of untrue and scientifically uncorroborated information, especially when it comes from nurses, makes the fight against the epidemic and efforts to increase the vaccination rate difficult and undermines trust in the healthcare system, it added.

The HKMS stressed the importance of vaccination as the only effective way to overcome the epidemic and get life back to normal.

Many of our nurse colleagues treat hospitalised patients for serious forms of COVID-19 and many of them see their patients, most of whom have not been vaccinated, die, the HKMS said, reminding nurses that "nursing is a medical profession and our public discourse must be based on the results of medical science."

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

ZAGREB, 28 Sept, 2021 - In the last 24 hours Croatia has conducted 9,257 coronavirus tests, and 1,061 of them, (11.5%) have returned positive, whereas eight more COVID patients have died, raising the COVID-19 death toll to 8,614, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Tuesday.

There are currently 7,100 active cases, and of them 738 are receiving hospital treatment including 102 patients placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in Croatia in late February 2020, the country has conducted over 2.8 million tests that have shown that 401,169 people have contracted the virus, and of them 385,455 have recovered, including 1,098 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

As many as 22,467 people are self-isolating.

To date, over 3.4 million vaccine doses have been administered, and 44.46% of the total population or 53.48% of the adult population have been vaccinated.

Every second adult Croat has fully been inoculated to date.

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