ZAGREB, 4 Jan 2021 - Rising coronavirus numbers are partly due to the appearance of the Omicron variant of the virus and partly due to gatherings and celebrations during the Christmas and New Year holidays, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Tuesday.

So far, there have been 113 highly likely cases of the new variant in Croatia, and of the 1,000 samples sent from Croatia to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, three have turned out to be positive.

New COVID cases keep growing by the week, and we can say that the fifth wave of the pandemic has started already, without any pause between it and the previous, fourth wave, the minister said.

Beroš said that the highly transmissible Omicron variant will reach everybody and some of the vaccinated will not manage to avoid the infection.

"However, the immunized can expect milder symptoms and better protection," he said.

Asked by the press whether any harsher restrictions are on the table, the minister said that the current COVID protocols are well-balanced, underlining the importance of avoiding unnecessary contacts.

Costs incurred to curb the impact of COVID-19 exceed €400 million

At the end of 2021, costs incurred in the battle against the virus exceeded three billion kuna, he said.

Commenting on the appearance of flurona, the simultaneous infection with coronavirus and influenza virus, the minister said that a 27-year-old female patient, the first case of this mix of the two infections, was stable and in good shape.

The head of the Zagreb-based hospital for infectious diseases, Dr. Alemka Markotić, said that a mix of two or more infections was neither extraordinary nor spectacular.

She said that the 27-year-old patient had developed mild symptoms.

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ZAGREB, 4 Jan 2022 - In the last 24 hours, 2,205 tests have been conducted for coronavirus in Split-Dalmatia County, and 59% or 1,302 have returned positive, the county's healthcare authorities reported on Tuesday.

Another seven COVID patients -- all of them aged above 80 and with underlying conditions -- have died in this Dalmatian county in the last 24 hours.

Currently, 198 COVID patients are receiving hospital treatment, and of them 41 are on ventilators.

Dr. Diana Nonković of the Split-based county epidemiological service said today that the authorities were braced for a further surge in COVID numbers in the next ten days due to the Omicron variant.

Nonković said that a majority of those infected with the Omicron variant are young people, however, the virus has also started spreading among higher age cohorts.

She confirmed that this was the beginning of the fifth wave, and according to the first indicators, the rate of its transmission is rather fast, which is why she expects this wave to last shorter.

The doctor called on local residents to avoid larger gatherings in January so that the county can go back to a calmer situation.

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ZAGREB, 4 Jan 2021 - Croatia has registered 5,845 new coronavirus cases and 46 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 28,889. Among them are 1,817 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 233 who are on ventilators, and 16,715 persons who are self-isolating.

To date, 4,745,870 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.71 percent of the total population, or 66.37 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,260,882 people have received at least one dose and 2,146,134 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 63.16 percent of the adult population.

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January 4, 2022 - Classes will start on January 10, and the Ministry has so far not received a notification from any county about the transition to the C model, or online classes, after the holidays.

The Ministry of Science and Education does not intend to change the decision at the beginning and end of the school year, so classes will start on January 10 after the winter holidays in all schools, and so far no county has announced the transition to online classes, reports Večernji List.

"The ministry does not intend to change the decision on the beginning and end of the school year, the number of working days and the duration of vacations of primary and secondary school students for the school year 2021/2022," the Ministry of Science and Education said on Tuesday.

Croatia has registered 5,845 new coronavirus cases and 46 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Tuesday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 28,889. Among them are 1,817 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 233 who are on ventilators, and 16,715 persons who are self-isolating.

To date, 4,745,870 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.71 percent of the total population, or 66.37 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,260,882 people have received at least one dose and 2,146,134 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 63.16 percent of the adult population.

Despite the current epidemiological situation, the Ministry of Science and Education does not contemplate a return to virtual classes, although the development of face-to-face classes will be closely monitored in the coming weeks to avoid more cases.

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January 4, 2022 - The first Flurona case in Croatia has been detected in Zagreb, as the patient has both coronavirus and influenza. 

COVID-19 infections are increasingly spreading in Croatia. Dr. Jasmina Vraneš from NZJZ "Dr. Andrija Štampar" was a guest on the HRT show "Good Morning, Croatia" and said that the first Flurona case in Croatia had been detected. 'Flurona' is when a person is infected with coronavirus and influenza.

The number of tests is increasing, but the share of positive tests is also growing.

"Yesterday we detected about 50 percent positives, which is a lot compared to a week ago when it was about 30%. So infections are on the rise; it is the same in Zagreb as in other parts of Croatia," said Dr. Jasmina Vraneš, MD, Head of the Clinical Microbiology Department of the National Institute of Public Health "Dr. Andrija Štampar."

Dr. Vraneš adds that it is rare for someone to get sick from COVID three times, but some have had the illness twice, even though they have been vaccinated.

"Especially if they are prone or have a predisposition, it would be crucial for them to receive the third "booster" dose. After five months, the amount of antibodies is greatly reduced for those who have been vaccinated, and for some types of vaccines, there are no antibodies at all. So, one should have been vaccinated and vaccinated again."

They are closely monitoring the omicron-variant. 

"It is essential for us to see when there will be a free transmission, to see when omicron will circulate among the population. We are detecting it for now in those people who have an epidemiological history. So, if they were in contact with people from countries where it predominates, if they traveled, then in such a group, we see that we already have 20-30% positives on this variant," adds Dr. Vraneš.

Omicron spreads much easier and binds more quickly, so the incubation is much shorter - approximately 5 to 7 days, she adds.

Omicron may have milder symptoms in patients. However, in the UK, where it is dominant, many had received their booster shot. 

There is also a lot of talk about milder clinical pictures in South Africa, where omicron was first detected.

"But they have a younger population than us; they don't have a lot of immunocompromised people."

When asked if there is a chance that omicron will not spread in Croatia, Dr. Vraneš said there is no chance.

She also revealed that the first Flurona case, or when a person is infected with coronavirus and flu at the same time, has been detected in Croatia. 

"Yesterday, we detected both viruses in the patient. Influenza virus and coronavirus. It is not unknown that it is possible to become infected with multiple pathogens at once. Flu is the flu in English, so they call it Flurona. The flu starts usually between Christmas and Easter. It was not there last year, but we had cases over the summer. We need to see what the clinical picture will be in people who have both viruses at once," she explains.

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January 3, 2022 - With a rapid rise in Covid cases, are new measures in Split-Dalmatia County on the table? 

The Head of the Split-Dalmatia County Civil Protection Headquarters, Damir Gabrić, told Novi dan on N1 television that we cannot talk about improving the situation in that County just yet. 

"We have 192 hospitalized in the County, 40 people on ventilators and unfortunately three more who died. Of the 448 samples tested, more than 230 are newly tested. There is always some 50 percent or more infected. We have entered the new year with big numbers," said Gabrić.

He appealed once again to everyone to get vaccinated.

"In this way, we save our hospital system and not only those who suffer from Covid, but also from other diseases," he added.

"I am sorry that a large part of my fellow citizens did not use it. We are already reaping those fruits, and I am afraid that after the outbreak, it will be seen in some six or seven days at Split KBC," said Gabrić.

He said he would probably introduce some new measures, but did not want to take them out yet.

"We will probably have them today or on Tuesday, to slow down the pandemic, because we will certainly not help stop it. Everything is on the table, from the work of catering facilities to socializing ... I think we should start from that. But I say, the only real measure is - get vaccinated," he concluded and added that he is considering switching to online classes.

In the last 24 hours 1,103 coronavirus cases and 44 deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Monday. 4,577 tests were taken. 

There are 27,512 active cases, including 1,795 hospitalizations, of whom 239 are on ventilators, while 16,284 persons are self-isolating.

In the last 24 hours the share of positive tests was 24%.

Croatia has registered 722,054 coronavirus cases to date, including 12,653 deaths and 683,889 recoveries, of which 3,091 in the past 24 hours.

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ZAGREB, 3 Jan 2022 - In the last 24 hours 1,103 coronavirus cases, out of 4,577 tests, and 44 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Monday.

There are 27,512 active cases, including 1,795 hospitalized patients, of whom 239 are on ventilators, while 16,284 persons are self-isolating.

In the last 24 hours the share of positive tests was 24%.

Croatia has registered 722,054 coronavirus cases to date, including 12,653 deaths and 683,889 recoveries, of which 3,091 in the past 24 hours.

To date, 55.68% of the population has been vaccinated, including 66.34% of adults, of whom 63.06% fully.

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ZAGREB, 2 Jan 2021 - In the last 24 hours 413 coronavirus cases, out of 2,006 tests, and 38 related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Sunday.

There are 27,544 active cases, including 1,755 hospitalised patients, of whom 228 are on ventilators, while 18,259 persons are self-isolating.

Croatia has registered 720,951 coronavirus cases to date, including 12,609 deaths and 680,798 recoveries, of which 2,726 in the past 24 hours.

To date 55.68% of the population has been vaccinated, including 66.33% of adults, of whom 63.05% fully.

ZAGREB, 1 Jan 2021 -  Croatia has registered 5,293 new coronavirus cases and 33 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 29,895. Among them are 1,752 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 226 who are on ventilators, and 19,935 persons are self-isolating.

A total of 3,771,640 tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been conducted to date, including 14,224 in the last 24 hours when the positivity rate was 37.2%.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case of this infectious disease was confirmed in the country, 720,538 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 12,571 have died and 678,072 have recovered, including 2,922 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 63.05% of adult Croatians have been vaccinated.

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ZAGREB, 1 January 2022 2021 - Croatia entered 2021 at the peak of the COVID pandemic's second wave, and with high numbers of infections, hospital admissions, and deaths, while at the end of 2021 these numbers were several times higher.

Thus, of the total of 12,500 COVID-related deaths since the outbreak, over 8,000 persons have died in the past year.

According to data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health, in 2020 there were 4,478 COVID-related deaths, while in 2021 there were near twice as many, 8,407. About 80% of them were not vaccinated.

According to official data on the koronavirus.hr website, a total of 700,000 people in Croatia have contracted coronavirus, and the highest number of daily new cases was on 9 November, when 7,368 infections were registered.

Although the fourth wave of the pandemic is still ongoing, due to the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the virus, experts are announcing the possibility of another, fifth wave as early as the beginning of 2022. According to the latest data, 51 Omicron cases have been detected in Croatia so far.

With the arrival of the vaccine in January, mass vaccination began in Croatia, and Health Minister Vili Beroš said the goal was to inoculate 50% of the population by the summer. However, this percentage was not reached even by the end of the summer.

Two-thirds of adults vaccinated

By the end of 2021, about 55% of the total population was vaccinated, or 66% of the adult population, so Croatia is 30% behind countries with the highest vaccination rates.

Although interest in the vaccine was high among citizens at the beginning of the year, it gradually declined and inoculation nearly came to a halt in early summer. In the autumn, the interest rose again but not enough to significantly increase the immunization rate.

From jumping queue for vaccination to anti-vax protests

In a year, we went from people jumping the queue for vaccination at the very beginning, which caused public outrage and condemnation, to anti-vaccination protests, which became louder and bigger in the autumn, after mandatory COVID certificates had been introduced in the healthcare and social welfare systems and state and public institutions.

The culmination of the protests was in late November when an estimated 20,000 people gathered in Zagreb's Ban Jelačić Square, and after that threats were recorded, and even attacks of anti-vaxxers on doctors, which happened in Bjelovar.

By the end of 2021, about 4,7 million vaccine doses were administered in Croatia, 2.2 million people were vaccinated with two doses, and about half a million citizens received their third dose.

The COVID pandemic has further driven up the already huge costs of the healthcare system, and the treatment of COVID patients has so far cost Croatia about HRK 4 billion.

The hospital system has been adjusting to the epidemiological picture of coronavirus, which has meant delays in medical examinations, tests, and non-emergency procedures, which made it even more difficult for many citizens to access healthcare.

Due to huge debts, which reached HRK 6 billion, in March drug wholesalers restricted drug supplies to twenty hospitals with the largest debts for medicines and medicinal products.

The government and drug wholesalers then agreed that the debt would be repaid by the end of the year, but that did not stop new debts in the hospital system.

Although he has been announcing it, Minister Beroš still hasn't unveiled a proposal for health reform, which should streamline the system and reduce costs.

So far, there has been talking of some measures, such as a unified public procurement system, centralization of the hospital system, and consolidation of the institute of public health and emergency medicine.

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