February 22, 2021 - At the National Civil Protection Headquarters' press conference on Monday, Interior Minister Davor Božinović spoke about easing measures in Croatia on March 1.

Jutarnji List reports that in the last 24 hours, 72 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, and the number of active cases in Croatia today is 2111.

Among them, 792 patients are in hospital, of which 68 are on a ventilator. 

20 people died. The average age of the deceased is 76 years. 166,146 doses of vaccine had been used, and 108,311 people were vaccinated. For 57,835 people, the vaccination was completed.

HZJZ director Krunoslav Capak reported on the 14-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants.

"We have 72 new cases. A week ago, there were 68 new cases, and the week before, 71 new cases. The mild beginning of the plateau of an equal number of patients or a very slight increase continues. We currently have two percent more than the week before. The current incidence for the Republic of Croatia in 14 days is 111.2. The lowest incidence is in the County of Istria and the highest in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. In terms of incidence, Croatia ranks 3rd in the EU. Only Denmark and Finland have the lowest, and the Czech Republic has the highest in the EU: 1109.7. The total mortality rate per million inhabitants is 1331.9, and we are ranked 19th out of 27 EU countries. The share of positives in those tested today is 3.2 and for the last 14 days, 6.0. So far, HALMED has received 927 reports of suspected side effects, of which 822 are on the Pfizer vaccine, 48 on the Moderna, and 57 on the AstraZeneca," Capak said.

Capak spoke about the shipments of vaccines expected in Croatia.

"This week, we need to receive 23,400 doses of Pfizer, 16,800 Moderna, and 52,000 AstraZeneca. Moderna has announced that it will deliver those 16,800 doses on February 25. Of all the others, we have announcements for March, only from Moderna. We do not have dates, but they announced about 55,000 doses during March. We should receive another 508,630 doses of vaccine by the end of March."

Minister of Health Vili Beroš spoke about 20% fewer examinations and procedures in hospitals this year.

"It ranges from 19-28%. We learned in this spring wave and adjusted the health care system. Everywhere in the world, health capacities are focused on solving Covid problems. We had to operate one entire facility to provide COVID-19 protection to positive patients and relieve all other health facilities. I think we succeeded in that. We appeal to health institutions and patients to respond to preventive examinations. This is of fundamental importance. Many avoid these examinations for fear of getting infected in hospitals, which is not good. It is important to have regular preventive check-ups. And the general population does not respond in the desired number to preventive examinations. We are thinking about it, and we have adjusted the health care system so that as many institutions as possible provide other health care," he said.

Capak commented on allegations that those receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine will not have to wear masks afterward.

"The type of immunity that protects our mucous membrane from the virus, so that it cannot live on it, is a different type of immunity than the one that develops after vaccination. AstraZeneca was the first to publish a study, and their vaccine also protects against virus transmission. And if the vaccine develops immunity, we weren’t sure if that person could receive the virus on the mucosa and transmit it. That’s why we recommended wearing a mask even after vaccination. Whether other vaccine manufacturers will conduct such studies, we do not currently know. We wouldn’t tell anyone now not to wear a mask; everyone should wear a mask. Until the transmission of the virus and the number is significantly reduced, it is recommended for everyone to wear masks," said Capak.

Božinović commented on the possibility of easing measures from March 1.

"Talks have already begun this week. It all depends on the epidemiological situation, which is good despite these particular increases. The Republic of Croatia is at the top of the countries when it comes to low incidence. We will talk to the ministers. Our goal is the same, to normalize life as much as possible, to start as many economic activities as possible. Certainly, on March 1, we will not open everything as before the epidemic, but if these trends continue, the possibility of certain concessions certainly exists. I wouldn’t want to be more specific here now. We monitor the situation locally as well. When we talk about the counties' demands, that decision is always a decision of the National Headquarters. We are not against initiatives, but for each specific initiative from the county level, the decision will be made by the National Headquarters."

Capak commented on the slight increase 4 days in a row compared to the week before.

"Four days is not enough to talk about the trend. This is a slight increase from the figure a week ago. Now we can think that it is some oscillation, or we can say that it is the stagnation of the fall that we had so that the plateau has leveled off and the numbers are rising. We will see this over the next few days; we can hope it is a slight oscillation after which the numbers will fall."

Capak commented on the start of mass vaccination in Zagreb.

"I don't know about any problems. From the beginning, the possibility of getting vaccinated in organizations or at checkpoints has been included. Some have reached the stage of using checkpoints. In Zagreb, the transition to the second phase was a bit late, and now we got a little more vaccine, and the first phase is over. HZJZ has decided to make vaccination actions at checkpoints. Tomorrow we will vaccinate in Mihaljevac and the City of Zagreb in NZJZ Andrija Štampar. Patients from the list of health centers will come; 60 patients have been ordered every half hour. We estimate that we will vaccinate 900-1000 people."

Journalists asked the Headquarters about the tourist season and testing.

"It was discussed that those who return to their countries should be allowed to do PCR in Croatia to cross the border. We will try to organize it again this year during the season, and there is still time until then. Whether it will be at the airport or somewhere else remains to be seen. We think we will then have enough free capacity for PCR tests. There is still no EU country that recognizes rapid antigen tests for crossing the border, "Capak said.

Božinović continued.

"Numerous conversations are taking place on this, at all levels. There will be a European Council meeting soon. The Headquarters is constantly in communication with the Ministry, and we have planned meetings on this topic. This is just one of the issues we will discuss."

Reporters asked Božinović about the possible concessions on March 1.

"We are probably one of the most open EU countries, and the fact is that there is not much we talk about yet. Of course, when we talk about restrictions, some relate to some activities that are already open and take place under certain circumstances. I think it is becoming clear to everyone that our model from day one was that we need to be rational, put everything in the context of the overall epidemiological situation to function as much as possible, and not make decisions that we will soon change. We are all affected in different ways, and we all suffer because of it. Solidarity could and should now be increasingly oriented towards becoming aware of the risks and problems that the epidemic brings to certain sections of the population. The fact is that the most at risk are the elderly, the chronically ill, and they are certainly not the ones looking for measures to be eased. When they give in, they are in the group of those most at risk. That’s why everyone needs to see what they can do to protect the most vulnerable. They need to take care of themselves, adhere to measures, and insist that everyone who comes close to them, especially younger family members, adheres to the measures. I want to say that different groups need to think for themselves about the epidemic risks. If we achieve a kind of understanding, there will be less and less need to impose something as behavior. The open-close approach is slowly being exhausted."

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

ZAGREB, 22 February, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia has conducted 2,242 coronavirus tests, and of them 72, that is 3.2%, have returned positive, while there have been 20 COVID-related deaths, the national COVID-19 crisis management team stated on Monday morning.

There are currently 2,111 active cases, of whom 792 are hospitalised patients, including 68 placed on ventilators.

A total of 11,267 are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020 when Croatia registered its first case of the infection with this novel virus, 1.3 million tests have been conducted, and 240,017 people have contracted the virus. Of them, 232,457 have recovered, including 312 in the last 24 hours.

The death toll has climbed to 5,449.

For more on the coronavirus crisis in Croatia, check out the dedicated TCN section.

February the 22nd, 2021 - Is Croatia planning Covid passport introduction in order to facilitate a less stressful summer tourist season for this year? The move would see the country have a more stable situation and a desperately needed boost from its strongest economic branch.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, Croatia is working on bilateral agreements to facilitate the crossing of its borders for those vaccinated against the novel coronavirus without the need to present a negative PCR test, in order to facilitate easier traffic during the tourist season, Davor Bozinovic, head of the National Civil Protection Headquarters confirmed on Friday.

"This is a sensitive matter because in Europe, they believe that there should be no discrimination on this basis. And we're going to have to see what we do and set ourselves up practically. We've already spoken with the Ministry of Tourism. On the one hand, it is still too early to decide concretely or run before we can walk. These talks will see the situation looked at more deeply and we'll see how we can facilitate a better tourist season this summer than the one we had last year,'' Bozinovic assured.

As has since been learned unofficially, a meeting of the European Commission (EC) on the topic of Covid passports will be held tomorrow, in order to define as soon as possible how people will be able to travel within the borders of the European Union and beyond for leisure during the summer months.

When it comes to Croatia planning Covid passport introductions, the country has held off even talking much about the matter and has instead been sitting back and waiting for a joint EU solution before delving into what some consider to be a controversial topic. This is the opposite move of some other EU member states that have already signed agreements with their emitting markets.

Nearby Greece, which was the first to raise the issue of Covid passports at the European Union level just a month or so ago, has so far signed an agreement with Israel, as well as Cyprus, and is now announcing an agreement with the United Kingdom, as the Northern European island nation brings enormous amounts of traffic to Greece each and every year.

The key issue that Covid passports hope and want to address is the issue of costs, which will be high for all those who will usually need to be tested before and after taking their trips without one unless such requirements are dropped.

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February the 22nd, 2021 - Marija Bubas, Krunoslav Capak's deputy at the Croatian Institute for Public Health, has made an encouraging statement regarding Croatia's continued favourable trend in terms of the infection rate.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Marija Bubas recently spoke to Dnevnik N1 television about the vaccination of vulnerable groups, which has been being carried out by the CNIPH since Tuesday.

"The Croatian Institute for Public Health would organise the implementation of vaccination for patients who were referred by their GPs, but are not able to carry out vaccination for whatever reason. The Institute is therefore an aid in the implementation of the vaccination process, its role is significant, it was also important in Sisak-Moslavina County as an aid, but we must be present and not be precisely those who have the main say in it all,'' said Marija Bubas.

"Every dose thrown away is an enormous shame''

AstraZeneca and Pfizer will be the vaccines with which the Croatian population will be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, and just many people will be vaccinated will depend on the response.

“We have significant capacities, doctors and other staff who can vaccinate the public. Every dose thrown away is a great pity because that dose actually belongs to someone. The idea is to achieve as much vaccination as possible in the shortest possible time, both in Croatia and across the whole world, so every discarded or damaged vaccine is wasted,'' explained Marija Bubas.

The manufacturer advised that the second dose of AstraZeneca needs to be given eight to twelve weeks after the first, but now there are indications that it is better to administer it closer to the twelfth week, she added.

"Then a better response to the first dose of vaccine is achieved, so we will be more strategically placed in that sense," she said.

"The easing of measures must be gradual and concession is being considered,'' she noted.

"The current situation is far more favourable than it was two months ago, there are fewer newly infected people, fewer people on respirators… But each step should be taken very gradually, we need to evaluate things to know where and when to stop and how to move forward. If there is a concession, it will be reevaluated after two to three weeks in order to start either a new concession or indeed further tightening,'' said Marija Bubas.

''If people want to enjoy the benefits of the easing of the anti-epidemic measures, then we're asking them to be responsible in their actions as much as is possible,'' she added.

"The director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Europe also provided a description that describes the past year very well - pandemic fatigue, this also refers to the saturation of measures. It is understandable that people are growing tired with it all, but that is exactly why we're appealing to people to just wait a little bit longer and continue being patient,'' she said.

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February 22, 2021 - Mass vaccination begins in Zagreb today for people over 65 and chronic patients.

Jutarnji List reports that this week, 16,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines should be distributed to family medicine clinics in Zagreb to vaccinate people over 65 and chronic patients, reveals the Zagreb Teaching Institute for Public Health "Dr. Andrija Štampar."

So far, about 85,000 Zagreb citizens who have entered this category have applied for vaccination, and the Institute says that the number is increasing every day. Citizens will be vaccinated by about 400 medical teams of family medicine, with 35 percent voting for vaccination in their offices. In contrast, the rest will be vaccinated at one of the 19 points provided for that purpose in the city.

The mass vaccination of people over the age of 65 and chronic patients started on Saturday in Međimurje as well.

Everything is ready for vaccination in Zagreb, said Zvonimir Šostar, director of the Institute of Public Health 'Dr. Andrija Štampar' for HRT.

"We have 12,000 doses of AstraZeneca at our disposal, so three vials would be given to each vaccinee, some 35 percent of whom will be vaccinated in their organizations and 65 percent at 19 points. Moderna did not arrive here last week, although it was announced, I believe it will come today or tomorrow, so we will immediately forward another bottle of Moderna to our colleagues, i.e., 10 doses," said Šostar.

He also explained that the Moderna vaccine must be transported frozen, while the AstraZeneca does not require special conditions. Vaccine delivery will end this afternoon.

"We are doing a huge job, and the employees are working until 11 pm, midnight," said Šostar and added that there is no fear about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine. If all goes well, 17,000 people could receive the vaccine this week.

"All the vaccine in this world that is used protects you from severe forms of the disease, from hospitalization, and ultimately from ventilators," Šostar added for HRT.

"Every week, more and more people apply to doctors for vaccinations, and the younger population has recently started applying," said Mirela Marković, a member of the executive board of KoHOM, whose office begins vaccination tomorrow morning.

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

ZAGREB, 21 February, 2021 - Croatia has recorded 260 new coronavirus cases and nine related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Sunday morning.

The number of active cases currently stands at 2,371.

Among them are 789 infected people receiving hospital treatment, 72 of whom are on ventilators.

A total of 11,396 people are currently in self-isolation.

So far, a total of 1.3 million people have been tested, including 5,458 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Croatia, 239,945 people have contracted the novel virus, of whom 5,429 have died.

A total of 232,145 people have recovered, including 301 in the last 24 hours.

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

ZAGREB, 21 February, 2021 - Next week, 16,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine should be distributed to family medicine clinics for the vaccination of persons over the age of 65 and chronic patients, the Dr Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health said on Sunday.

About 85,000 citizens of Zagreb from that categroy have so far applied for vaccination, and the Institute says that the number continues to increase daily.

Vaccine to be administered in clinics and at 19 locations in city

Citizens will be vaccinated by about 400 medical teams, with 35% opting for getting vaccinated at their family doctor's offices, while others will get vaccinated at one of the 19 locations in the city, which are part of health institutions.

To date, 18,640 people in Zagreb have received the first dose, while 13,236 have received the second dose. Those are residents and employees at care homes, health workers and others employed in health care, members of emergency services and people on dialysis.

The Institute said that vaccination at locations outside health institutions would be organised once sufficient doses of the vaccine are available and once stage three of the vaccination process starts.

Vaccination to take place at two Zagreb Fair pavilions

In Zagreb, vaccination will be organised at two Zagreb Fair pavilions, like in other big European cities.

The director of the Croatian Public Health Institute, Krunoslav Capak, announced that 23,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine should arrive in Croatia next week, as should 16,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 52,658 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

On Friday, 33,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived, and by the end of March, a total of more than 700,000 doses should arrive if all producers meet their obligations.

For the latest on coronavirus in Croatia, check out the dedicated TCN section. 

ZAGREB, 20 February, 2021 - The second round of vaccination started in the northern Međimurje County on Saturday, with 1,100 persons to be vaccinated during the day, the local COVID-19 response team said.

This is a more massive vaccination campaign covering people aged over 65 and people with chronic diseases.

Vaccination stations have been set up at Čakovec, Prelog and Mursko Središće.

The local health authorities have said that people will be vaccinated with the three vaccines currently registered in Europe.

Next weekend, around 2,000 people are expected to be vaccinated, the county team said.

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

ZAGREB, 20 February, 2021 - Croatia has recorded 431 new coronavirus cases and 13 related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday morning.

The number of active cases currently stands at 2,421. Among them are 782 infected people receiving hospital treatment, 78 of whom are on ventilators.

A total of 12,001 people are currently in self-isolation.

So far, a total of 1,298,994 people have been tested, including 5,579 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Croatia, 239,685 people have contracted the novel virus, of whom 5,420 have died.

A total of 231,844 have recovered, including 310 in the last 24 hours.

February the 20th, 2021 - Minister Bozinovic has revealed the next point Croatia needs to reach in terms of its epidemiological picture before it can look at relaxing some more measures. He also scooted around the controversial idea of a COVID passport when asked about the summer season.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Krunoslav Capak commented that this is the first time that the number of daily infections recorded is unfortunately higher when compared to what it was the week before.

''As for the 14-day incidence, the highest is in Split-Dalmatia County, and the lowest in Istria County. In the European Union, Croatia is in third place, only Finland and Denmark have a lower incidence than Croatia," Capak said at a press conference of the Civil Protection Headquarters.

In terms of the overall mortality rate, we are in 19th place out of 27 European Union countries, Capak added, noting that Croatia now has 11 confirmed cases of the so-called British strain.

''Something that is new is that the Croatian Institute for Public Health has introduced a screening test for new coronavirus patients and yesterday we tested 17 samples, of which we have 10 suspicions of a new variant, and we sent all of those samples off for confirmation to the ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Infectious Diseases Clinic. We will then get confirmation whether they are the British strain or not,'' said Capak.

How about the next set of measure relaxations?

''For us, the next point we need to reach is the end of this month and the beginning of next month. We'll certainly continue to make decisions based on reflection and based on models. We must be aware that caution must absolutely continue to be maintained and that the measures must continue to be implemented in a disciplined manner,'' explained Minister Bozinovic.

"This mustn't be a gamble" he added.

Minister Bozinovic also commented on the introduction of COVID passports, which has been a hot topic of debate for many, emphasising that the Croatian Government intends to do absolutely everything in its power to ensure we have a successful tourist season.

"This is a sensitive matter because in Europe it is considered that there should be no discrimination, so we're going to be acting practically. Surely these talks will intensify and we'll see how we can do everything to get tourism started, to record a more successful tourist season than we had last year. We achieved about 50 percent of the results from our record year of 2019, and in that respect we are ahead of all our friends from Europe,'' concluded Minister Bozinovic.

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