ZAGREB, 28 July 2022 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Thursday that the experts form Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team were making all the necessary preparations to ensure the country was ready to address new epidemiological challenges in the autumn.

"The expert group from the COVID-19 crisis management team is analysing the current situation and possible scenarios in Croatia and in the European Union and is planning further steps in the preparation of the health care system and the implementation of the vaccination scheme against COVID-19," Beroš tweeted.

Croatia has been experiencing a new wave of highly infectious subvariants of coronavirus that have increased the share of positive cases among those tested to as much as 30%, with the daily number of new infections exceeding 1,000, the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) has said. 

Omicron subvariants BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5 are currently in circulation in Croatia, mostly affecting people aged 30-69 while children are less affected given the current school vacation, HZJZ officials have told Hina.

The new wave of the epidemic in Croatia started in late June, when the share of positive cases in the number of tested persons started to rise.

The largest number of new infections has been reported in the City of Zagreb and in Split-Dalmatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties, while Virovitica-Podravina County has the most favourable situation, with only three new cases having been reported.

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July 28, 2022 - A new coronavirus wave in Croatia is expected to peak in August, according to the Croatian Public Health Institute. 

Croatia is under attack by a new wave of highly contagious coronavirus subvariants, which have increased the proportion of positives among those tested to as much as 30 percent. According to the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), the number of new cases daily has exceeded a thousand.

Subvariants of omicrons BA.2 and BA.4, and BA.5 are now circulating in the region; middle-aged citizens, from 30 to 69 years of age, are most exposed, while children are less infected because there are no classes.

A new wave of infections in Croatia began at the end of June when an increased share of positives in the total tested was recorded. The city of Zagreb, Split-Dalmatia, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties have the most infections, while the most favorable situation is in the Virovitica-Podravina County, which has only three new infections.

In the last week, an increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths was also noticeable, but this did not increase the interest in vaccination, so only 300 to 400 people are vaccinated daily, and less than 50 with the first dose in the entire country.

Citizens may wait for a new bivariate vaccine containing both the Wuhan and the omicron components. The European regulatory agency EMA could approve it at the end of August and the beginning of September at the earliest.

When asked about the possibility of re-introducing covid-certificates in the fall, the HZJZ replied that, according to their knowledge, there are no plans to re-introduce covid-certificates in the fall or winter at the moment.

Although some European countries have passed the peak of new infections, Croatia is still in the upward phase. The peak is expected in August, given the experience so far, which shows that the wave of infection lasts for several weeks.

All sick people, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated, must be isolated for seven to ten days, with the possibility of earlier termination in the case of testing on the fifth day from the beginning of the infection at the earliest.

The measure of quarantine or self-isolation is not mandatory for close contacts of positive persons, they should wear a mask for ten days after the last contact, and self-testing is also recommended.

Although a public controversy has recently developed about how well masks even protect against new variants of the virus, the HZJZ points out that, along with respecting physical distance, they are still the basis of preventing the spread of droplet infections.

"Only the use of masks is the domain of each individual's responsibility and awareness," notes the Institute for Public Health.

They emphasize the importance of vaccination again. The vaccine, they say, may not protect so effectively against the infection itself, given the high infectivity of the new omicron subvariants that are now circulating in our area. However, it still largely protects against more severe forms of the disease, hospitalization, and death.

A second booster is currently recommended for people over 80 and over 65 in nursing homes, at least four months after receiving the first booster. For this purpose, an mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty or Spikevax) is used. Also, a second booster vaccination is recommended for people with an increased risk of developing severe forms of covid and who were primarily vaccinated and boostered with the Janssen vaccine. The mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty or Spikevax) is recommended for the second vaccination.

According to HZJZ statistics, 57.76 percent of the total population in Croatia has completed vaccination, 23.26 percent received an additional (booster, third) dose, while 2,014 people received a second booster (so-called fourth) dose.

So far, 8,839,440 doses of the covid vaccine have arrived, and a total of 5,263,284 doses have been used. In addition, 1,335,780 doses are kept at the central warehouse, most Pfizer, of which 1,035,480 doses remain. In addition, there are 165,200 doses of Moderna vaccine, 96,000 doses of Novavax, and 39,100 doses of Janssen.

The expiration date for 28,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine expires this month, for 4,100 doses in August, and for 3,800 doses in September. The HZJZ notes that they expect the EMA to extend the shelf life of Moderna's vaccine from 9 to 12 months.

Estimates say that around 200 kg of vaccines will need to be destroyed, mostly Moderna and AstraZeneca. The cost of destruction per kilogram is HRK 12.50, including VAT, around HRK 2,500, according to the Institute of Public Health.

Croatia has so far donated 1,958,120 doses, including COVAX donations. Outside the COVAX system, the most were donated to Iran, BiH, North Macedonia, and Rwanda. As part of COVAX donations, most of them were donated to Egypt, Indonesia, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. As a rule, the donation does not imply a refund to the country that donates the vaccine.

Source: Jutarnji List

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ZAGREB, 27 July 2022 - In the last 24 hours, 1,899 coronavirus cases, out of 4,862 tests, and 16 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

There are 10,325 active cases, including 647 hospitalised patients, of whom 20 on ventilators, while 4,934 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 1,180,857 coronavirus cases to date, the death toll is 16,265, and 70.84% of adults have been vaccinated, including 68.81% fully.

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July the 26th, 2022 - Will we be able to enter the first autumn in two years without any Croatian epidemiological measures? As the height of a scorching summer reaches its peak, questions are being asked.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the temperatures are becoming intolerable for many, and air conditioning units are working hard. The outbreak of the coronavirus infection at a time when we're still far from colder days, darker nights and spending more time indoors, is not at all encouraging. Due to the sudden increase in the number of coronavirus patients, neighbouring Slovenia is introducing restrictions on visits to hospitals, and it is once again insisting on the wearing of protective masks in healthcare institutions. Here in Croatia, so far, there are no indications to suggest there might be an introduction of new protective measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) is not preparing any special Croatian epidemiological measures because - as they say - they already now have enough experience to deal with new waves of the pandemic should they occur.

"Given that we already have various sorts of experiences with it now, we'll only apply certain experiences if we judge that it is necessary. We all hope that the measures will not be reactivated, but we can't say that for sure in advance,'' epidemiologist Iva Pem Novosel told Novi list. Everything, she added, will depend on the mass of the number of patients, and the level of intensity of the spread of the infection in the coming months. If there is a sudden increase in the number of new cases, it will be necessary to think about reintroducing some measures, but not as strict as those we've come to hate to remember.

"We'd all honestly like to avoid introducing any Croatian epidemiological measures, but it's difficult for us to give forecasts at this moment in time. It's likely that there will be a stronger increase in cases, but it all depends on the appearance of new variants, which we can't know about in advance. We don't like to make forecasts because we can easily make mistakes. It's true that in autumn, with the cooling of the weather, and due to the very nature of the spread of the coronavirus, sees an increase in intensity, as is the case with other respiratory viruses. Nobody can say what that increase is going to look like. That really cannot be known in advance," Pem Novosel repeated.

Although we have been living without any Croatian epidemiological measures for some time now, and we've already somewhat forgotten them, the fact is that almost on a daily basis we're hearing about someone we know, or someone they know, unwell with omicron. No matter how much we want to forget it, the virus is still very much thriving in and around us. Epidemiologists are fully aware of this, but they don't expect anything drastic to occur.

"The situation really is monitored on a daily basis. We hope it won't escalate before September, but omicron is highly contagious. We're lucky that people are getting together a bit less. There's now no school, people are off on holiday, so people have dispersed, and therefore the chance of spreading omicron is lower. As for autumn, we can't say yet. If we are ready for anything, then we're ready for things to get worse if they do go that way. We hope that we won't be surprised by something unprecedented. It just depends on the scenario. If it stays like this, then we expect that hospitals will not be overloaded and there will be no need to introduce any new Croatian epidemiological measures, maybe only mild ones, and if some fiercely contagious variant emerges that would cause a very large increase in the number of new infections, then we'll think about it all more seriously.

"You never know what's waiting around the corner, but we don't expect any dramatic situations to unfold,'' she concluded.

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ZAGREB, 23 July 2022 - Croatia has registered 1,654 new coronavirus cases and eight COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday.

The number of active cases currently stands at 10,844, of whom 579 infected persons are being treated in hospital, including 15 placed on ventilators, while 6,033 persons are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 1,176,519 cases of the infection have been diagnosed. The disease has claimed 16,205 lives. A total of 1,149,469 have recovered, including 1,606 in the last 24 hours.

So far, over a five million tests have been conducted, and in the last 24 hours, 4,234 people have been tested, and of them two in five turned out to be positive.

A total of 59.57 per cent of the total population, or 70.84 per cent of adults, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 68.80 per cent of the adult population have been vaccinated twice.

ZAGREB, 20 July 2022 - In the last 24 hours 2,239 coronavirus cases, out of 5,543 tests, and 12 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

There are 10,376 active cases, including 560 hospitalised patients, 16 of whom are on ventilators, while 4,475 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 1,171,581 coronavirus cases to date, the death toll stands at 16,181, and 70.84% of the adult population has been vaccinated, including 68.80% fully.

For everything you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

ZAGREB, 16 July 2022 - In the last 24 hours there have been 1,654 new cases of the infection with coronavirus, and another four COVID patients have died, according to the data released by Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team on Saturday.

There are 10,053 active cases, including 477 hospitalised patients, 16 of whom are on ventilators, while 5,281 persons are self-isolating.

A total of 4,246 persons have been tested for coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

There have been also 1,325 recoveries.

ZAGREB, 10 July 2022 -  In the past 24 hours, 757 new cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection have been diagnosed in Croatia, and another four COVID patients have died, bringing the COVID-related death toll to 16,107, the national COVID response team reported on Sunday.

Currently, there are 8,287 active cases, including 369 hospitalised patients, 13 of whom are on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of infection with the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, the country has reported 1,159,177  cases of this infectious disease.

There have been 1,134,783 recoveries, including 1,043 in the last 24 hours.

Nearly 71% of the adult population has been vaccinated to date.

ZAGREB, 9 July, 2022 - In the past 24 hours, 1,488 new cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection have been diagnosed in Croatia, and another five COVID patients have died bringing the COVID-related death toll to 16,103, the national COVID response team reported on Saturday.

Currently, there are 8,577 active cases, including 344 hospitalised patients, of whom 13 are on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, the country has reported 1,158,420 cases of this infectious disease.

There have been 1,133,740 recoveries, including 1,129 in the last 24 hours.

 Nearly 71% of the adult population has been vaccinated to date.

ZAGREB, 8 July 2022 - In the past 24 hours, 1,349 new cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection were recorded in Croatia, and five COVID patients have died, the national COVID response team reported on Friday.

The number of active cases on Friday was 8,220. Among them, there were 339 patients receiving hospital treatment, of whom 12 patients are on ventilators.

There are currently 4,347 people in self-isolation.

To date, a total of 4,965,512 tests have been conducted, including 3,942 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 1,156,932 cases of COVID have been diagnosed and 16,101 COVID patients have died, while 1,132,611 people have recovered, including 1,025 in the last 24 hours.

As of 7 July, 5,259,863 doses of vaccine were administered to 59.55% of the total population, or 70.83% of the adult population. A total of 68.79% of the adult population has been full vaccinated.