ZAGREB, 8 February, 2021 - In the past 24 hours 71 coronavirus cases as well as 29 COVID deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 response team said on Monday.

Currently there are 2,407 active cases, including 1,137 hospitalised patients, 107 of whom are on ventilators. There are also 12,948 people in self-isolation.

Since 25 February 2020, when the new virus was first registered in Croatia, there have been 235,473 cases of infection, 5,198 deaths and 227,686 recoveries, including 383 in the past 24 hours.

To date 1,230,808 persons have been tested for the virus, including 2,199 in the past 24 hours.

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

ZAGREB, 8 February, 2021 - The director of Zagreb's Infectious Diseases Hospital, Alemka Markotić, said on Sunday the most vulnerable part of the community should be protected and that those who refused AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine would have to wait for the opportunity to be inoculated with another.

AstraZeneca still has not published its research on the elderly and we will see how protected certain groups are only after large-scale inoculation, she said on RTL television when asked why Croatia decided to inoculate those older than 65 with that vaccine.

The vaccine will be effective enough to partly protect those groups, and it is better to inoculate them with AstraZeneca's vaccine and protect them than not at all, she added.

Markotić said the European Medicines Agency met with the manufacturer of Russia's vaccine on 19 January and that the Russians would deliver the necessary documentation this month. "According to the information, the vaccine has a high percentage of success, with few side effects."

Asked if local civil protection authorities would soon be able to adopt decisions on COVID measures without the national response team, Markotić said "that will certainly be made possible, notably towards the tourist season."

"I think it's in everyone's interest that tourist regions start creating the prerequisites for a successful tourist season."

Regarding protests and violations of COVID restrictions, she said everyone should continue to be responsible and "be patient a little longer, until a higher percentage of people is vaccinated."

Asked how realistic it was for the fast-spreading strain of coronavirus to arrive in Croatia, Markotić said it was possible that it already had. "Judging by the numbers, we still don't have it and we still haven't identified it. It's a big hazard, that's why all of Europe and the world are cautious."

She said Croatia, Estonia and Finland had the most liberal COVID restrictions. "We are trying to keep the majority of the economy going."

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

February 8, 2021 - Vaccination in Croatia continues as the Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines will be distributed in Slavonia and Dalmatia on Monday. 

HRT reports that Croatia's favorable epidemiological situation continues, as 276 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Sunday. The share of positive cases among those tested was 5.3%. Unfortunately, another 25 patients died.

The number of patients in hospital treatment and on ventilators was the same as Saturday - 1,142 patients are in hospital, and 107 are on ventilators.

On Monday, 25,200 doses of the Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccine will be distributed in Croatia. Those over the age of 65, the chronically ill, and everyone else who wants to be vaccinated will be vaccinated.

Epidemiologist Iva Pem Novosel (Croatian Public Health Institute) explained that the distribution to Slavonia and Dalmatia starts on Monday. Istria and central Croatia will receive doses on Wednesday, and the northern part of Croatia will receive them on Friday. Vaccine quantities are determined in proportion to the population.

Although pensioners' associations are asking to postpone the vaccination of the elderly with the AstraZeneca vaccine, Pem Novosel says that Croatia's situation is not such that vaccination should be postponed.

"Already after the first dose, the effectiveness develops in three weeks, and when two full doses are received with the maximum interval of 12 weeks, that efficiency is as much as 82%," she says.

On Sunday, Split-Dalmatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties were in the lead in terms of the number of infected people.

Vladimir Mićović, NZJZ director of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, called for caution when easing measures.

He is in favor of, he said, a certain gradual opening if there are indicators and preconditions, and above all, the opening of schools. He also mentioned, "coffee on terraces."

"Maybe we should think about it if there are conditions," he said.

On Monday, high school students return to the classroom in Zagreb and Lika-Senj County.

"Almost 30,000 additional high school students from Zagreb will return to school on Monday. All those schools that worked according to model A in the first half of the year will work according to the same model Monday, and it is difficult to say how this will affect the epidemiological situation," says Ivica Lovrić, head of the Zagreb City Office for Education.

Compared to December, Zagreb schools are 10 times less infected, he added.

"We have 114 infected students and 86 infected employees. If we put this in the context of somewhere around 100,000 children and employees coming to schools, then that really isn’t a big number. We hope that the number will not grow; of course, if the epidemiological situation worsens, we will again consider the introduction of model C," he points out.

Valentina Zdunić, head of the Department for Social Activities of Lika-Senj County, announced that as of Monday, a total of 1,135 high school students would be in school. She emphasized that the schools are ready and that if the epidemiological situation worsens, they will switch to another teaching model.

To prevent this from happening, adhering to epidemiological guidelines is the best option.

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

ZAGREB, 7 February, 2021 - The Croatian pensioner unions SUH and MUH asked the national coronavirus response team on Sunday to delay the vaccination of people aged 65 and over with the AstraZeneca vaccine, citing decisions to that effect by many EU countries.

The two organisations want the use of this vaccine to be limited to people aged below 65, saying that many EU countries have decided so, such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Poland and Hungary, while Switzerland has temporarily delayed the use of this vaccine for all age groups.

"The Croatian authorities are aware that all these countries have decided to use this vaccine on younger people, especially those working in public services. They do not want it to be administered to elderly people because there is not enough data showing that it is effective for their age," SUH and MUH said in a joint statement.

They said that the vaccine had been tested on only 660 persons aged 65 and over and that its effectiveness on this age group was not considered sufficiently verified.

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

February 7, 2021 - Hundreds gathered at a Jarun party on Saturday night in Zagreb, though the police have reported no violations of epidemiological measures.

Index.hr reports that a new video showing hundreds of young people gathered in Zagreb, this time near Jarun, has circulated on social networks and in the media since Saturday night. The Zagreb Police have announced that the police officers did not find any violations or violations of epidemiological measures.

The video, published on Sunday morning in a Facebook group for students living in the Stjepan Radić Student Dormitory, shows young people hanging out, singing, and dancing to music, with a torch in the background.

The recording has since been deleted.

Hina learned from the Zagreb Police that they received two reports on Saturday night of people gathering in Jarun around the lake, the first time just after 10 pm and the second time around 3 am. There were no more reports after that.

"Police officers did not identify any violations, criminal offenses, or violations of epidemiological measures, i.e., the on-site inspection established that all those gathered adhered to the prescribed measures," the Zagreb Police said. Unfortunately, they left a trail of waste. 

Although some media reported that there were several hundred young people, the police say that those gathered were not in larger groups.

"As soon as it is determined that there are no violations of epidemiological measures, it means that the number is not higher than allowed," they explained.

After 8 pm and shortly after midnight, the Zagreb Polic also had reports of a gathering at the Croatian National Theater. Still, an on-site inspection also established that everyone adhered to the prescribed measures. You can see photos of the Jarun party and the gathering at the Croatian National Theater at Jutarnji List HERE.

Earlier, on Friday night, several young people gathered at the Stjepan Radić Student Dormitory. During this procedure, the police confirmed that they verbally called on everyone present to respect epidemiological measures and that they should disperse, which they did. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 7 February, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, Croatia has registered 276 new cases of the coronavirus infection and 25 deaths, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Sunday.

The number of active cases stands at 2,748. There are 1,142 COVID patients in hospitals, 107 of whom are on ventilators.

There are currently 13,535 people in self-isolation. To date, 1,228,609 people have been tested, including 5,249 in the last 24 hours.

Since the start of the epidemic in Croatia, 235,402 people have contracted coronavirus, 5,169 of them have died, and 227,485 have recovered, including 407 in the last 24 hours.

For the latest news on coronavirus in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN COVID-19 section.

February 7, 2021 - Could the general population in Croatia be vaccinated in early spring? One Croatian Public Health Institute epidemiologist weighs in.

Croatian Public Health Institute epidemiologist Iva Pem Novosel said for Dnevnik N1 that the start of vaccination of all age groups against coronavirus could be expected in early spring.

However, waiting for the vaccine depends on its delivery, said Iva Pem Novosel.

"I advise everyone to get vaccinated if they have the opportunity, not to wait. All vaccines, including AstraZeneca - if it has a slightly lower effect than the other two, work to protect severe forms of the infection and those that end in death. All vaccines protect against them. That is the most important thing we need to achieve," says Iva Pem Novosel.

The effectiveness of the first dose is satisfactory, and protection is achieved after three weeks, she added.

"It’s hard for me to say when the vaccination will end; we know how many older people we have, but we don’t know how many will be vaccinated. However, the number of those who want to be vaccinated is growing every day. This is good both for the protection of the individual and for the protection of the community. This will bring us collective immunity faster," said the epidemiologist.

People over the age of 65 are now vaccinated, followed by people with chronic diseases, as they are all members of the risk group who can get a severe form of the infection with complications. If the delivery dynamics are adequate, other citizens can be vaccinated in early spring, she said.

Will the EMA approve the Russian vaccine?

"This process may have already begun, so it will likely happen. I think we will get the next vaccines quickly, and we will be in a better situation and have a choice," said Pem Novosel.

Serbia announced the possibility of producing Sputnik. Can something similar be expected in Croatia?

"It would be ideal if it could be implemented, so experts from Immunology should be asked about it," she said.

She said she was sorry that some entrepreneurs were suffering when it comes to measures, but she also said that the epidemic was not even close to ending.

"We sympathize with them. However, we must remind them that the epidemic is not even close to the end, with all our positive and optimistic wishes. Vaccination is in the initial phase, we now have about two percent vaccinated in the population, and it is desirable to vaccinate 50 percent of the population," said the epidemiologist.

She also said that it is possible that a new strain has crept in but that it is comforting that the numbers are satisfactory.

"But if we gave in a little and if there was a new strain, there would be problems again. Any opening, for example, gyms and cafe terraces, would still mean that certain measures should be adhered to. Measures should be respected everywhere and at every opportunity," said Iva Pem Novosel.

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

February the 7th, 2021 - Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic hasn't ruled out the relaxation of local Croatian coronavirus restrictions if these favourable epidemiological trends continue across the country.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Bozinovic appeared yesterday morning on the Croatian Radio Interview of the Week, during which he discussed the country's excellent downward trend in the number of new infections and the potential easing of local Croatian coronavirus restrictions should the figures remain good.

"This is a continuation of the trend of decreasing numbers compared to the same day last week," Bozinovic said.

February the 15th, which is the next date on which the current measures will be reviewed again, is knocking on the door, the measures are expected to ease, and new protests have been announced if they aren't. Bozinovic said that the numbers are good, but that we mustn't allow ourselves to get carried away and think that the virus has disappeared. He stated that in Slovakia, 70 percent of all newly infected people have the new British strain of the virus, which spreads much more rapidly.

"We'd rather not be doing any of this, nobody was even preparing for a pandemic to strike. Some films may have been made about pandemics, a couple of books have been written in recent years, but in fact, for the first time, the whole world is facing this contagion that has spread to every corner of the globe and everyone has the same priority - to protect people's lives and also to make sure the economy still functions, and different measures are taken in that respect,'' said Bozinovic.

''The fact is that Croatia has the least strict measures in the EU, and we're still managing to lower the numbers,'' he added.

"Our goal is to lower these numbers so much that we can say with confidence that everything is now under control and that we're preparing for the period of the year that is actually crucial for the Croatian economy, and that is the tourist season," he said.

He expressed understanding for the representatives of the sectors most affected by the pandemic.

''It's totally clear that these people need to survive and that it's all causing a lot of frustration,'' he said, adding that they managed to awaken the importance of adhering to the measures in them. Bozinovic said that they did everything to prevent lockdown, and when that happened, the numbers started to fall and are still falling.

"If this trend continues, if we stabilise this decline, if it becomes even greater, we'll certainly not waste time in altering something and that these facilities can be re-opened in part or under certain conditions," he said.

When asked about the crowds in the cities, he said that the alternative was to declare a curfew, which he rejected as a possibility. "We will not imprison people at home," Bozinovic said frankly.

Could the easing of local Croatian coronavirus restrictions be on the horizon? Maybe. Bozinovic stated that he isn't ruling something like that out.

"I think we'll be going in that direction, this time before the tourist season. I can't say when, but in my opinion it isn't a question of whether or not we will but when we will decide to go in that direction,'' he concluded.

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February the 7th, 2021 - Croatian epidemiologist Iva Pem Novosel from the Croatian Institute of Public Health answered several questions for HTV after 16,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Croatia and the Croatian vaccination process hopes for a ramp up.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this is only the first lot, and by the end of the month, more than 150,000 more doses will arrive, according to HTV.

"Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines are also coming in, so we'll finally have a sufficient amount of vaccines and we'll finally be able to start the second phase of the national plan for the implementation of vaccination against the novel coronavirus," the Novosel told HTV.

Protection against a more severe form of coronavirus and death

Distribution by county is set to follow, as the Croatian vaccination process will initially begin at family doctor's/GP's offices or at vaccination points, about which citizens will be informed. Some European countries have decided not to vaccinate those over the age of 65 with the AstraZeneca vaccine, but in Croatia they say there is no need for such a move.

The reason for that is too little research and insufficient information about the effectiveness of the vaccine itself. All those who have decided to receive another coronavirus vaccine are free to do so but will have to wait until other doses of the desired vaccine arrive.

"Of course they'll be able to wait for another vaccine, but there are also a lot of misunderstandings involved. The effectiveness of the vaccine among the elderly doesn't mean that it is lower. Any vaccine given to the elderly elicits a slightly weaker immune response. This is common knowledge, so that's the case with any vaccine manufacturer. As for the AstraZeneca vaccine in the older age group, there was too small a sample, so the efficacy that was obtained can't really be properly interpreted, and we actually expect it to boast the same effectiveness as it did in the other age groups,'' explained Pem Novosel.

In some counties, in addition to GP's offices, special vaccination points will be organised in coordination with the Ministry of Health. It was said that doctors from the Ministry of Health had received a letter that special vaccination points would be organised, and mobile teams would be formed for precisely that purpose, and that there would be fewer of those who would vaccinate in the surgeries themselves.

At the level of the Ministry of Health, a special platform is also being organised to which all those who have not previously communicated with their GP's will be able to apply for vaccination as it is rolled out across the country.

As for the AstraZeneca vaccine itself, we know that it is registered for those over eighteen years of age, and that the effectiveness in preventing the disease is 60 percent, but also that all those who received the vaccine didn't develop a more severe form of the disease, nor were any of them hospitalised.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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ZAGREB, 6 February, 2021 - Coronavirus figures in Croatia are still good, but we should not delude ourselves that the virus has disappeared, the head of the national coronavirus response team, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, told Croatian Radio in an interview on Saturday.

This infection is affecting every corner of the globe and all countries have the same priority - to protect human lives and enable the functioning of the economy, Božinović said. 

"It's a fact that Croatia has the least strict measures in place in the EU, yet we are managing to bring the figures down. Our aim is to bring them down to such an extent that we can say that everything is under control. We are preparing for the time of year that is crucial for the Croatian economy, and that is the tourist season," Božinović said.

He said that everything had been done to avoid a lockdown, but after some businesses were closed, the number of infections had begun to decline and was still declining.

"If this trend continues, if we see even larger decreases, we will certainly not waste time to modify the measures" so that businesses, such as cafes and restaurants, that are now closed can reopen, he added.

Božinović said that the government was considering easing the restrictions before the tourist season. "I cannot say when that will happen. It's not a question of if but when."

He assessed that six months from now the situation would look much better than it did today, because the virus would be spreading to a lesser extent due to warmer weather and vaccination.

"Vaccination is now going a little more slowly, but I think it will intensify already this month and in particular next month. In the second quarter we will certainly have enough doses to put the epidemic under control. I am optimistic in that regard," Božinović said.

Božinović was asked to comment on an incident that happened last weekend, when Italian members of the European Parliament unofficially arrived at the Croatia-Bosnia border with the aim of crossing it illegally and were stopped by Croatian police. One of the MEPs said it was not true they intended to cross the border illegally.

"We have a note from the Italian Embassy saying that they wanted to go the village of Bojna and continue to Velika Kladuša (northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina). This is the area where the border can be crossed only illegally," he said.

He added that the Italian MEPs "probably thought that their colleagues from the Croatian SDP were more influential here and would kick up a fuss about it."

"This, of course, turned out to be a wrong move for our colleagues as well, who did not even ask us what happened, but put their confidence in the statements made by the MEPs who were here privately," Božinović said.

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