December the 12th, 2021 - Covid treatment is set to arrive in Croatia, 1,800 doses of it to be more precise. The first doses are due to come at the end of the month, reports Dnevnik Nova TV.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this covid treatment is based on monoclonal antibodies which are are intended for people who have become unwell and have not developed a more severe clinical picture since contracting the infection, but have some indications that it could go in that direction. This was explained Tihana Slezak from the Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED).

Such drugs are effective if given within the first five days of the onset of the illness in the case of coronavirus. "It will be provided in hospital conditions in such a way that the patient will be in the hospital for about an hour or two while receiving this medicine and then they will be able to take care of themselves back at home," explained Professor Ivan Puljiz from the Fran Mihaljevic Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb.

Three drugs for covid treatment have been approved

A total of three drugs were approved for the treatment of the novel coronavirus. Two drugs used to treat other diseases have also been approved for use in patients with coronavirus. There are also two antiviral drugs in capsules that have been written about a lot - Merck and Pfizer. These two drugs are also intended for those who are at risk of developing a more severe form of the disease. "They can be used at home. They will be given on a prescription following a consultation with a doctor,'' noted Slezak of this covid treatment.

Croatia is currently negotiating the purchase of these two drugs. "Depending on the number of interested countries and the estimated total quantities of the medicine, the European Commission (EC) is negotiating at the European Union (EU) level a price that is unique for all countries participating in the joint procurement process and that has not been determined yet," they stated from the Croatian Ministry of Health.

''Merck is not something spectacular in the sense that it would be the final solution to the coronavirus pandemic,'' explained Dr. Ivo Ivic from the Clinic of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital Centre in Split: "It will be very expensive. One therapy will cost around 500 euros. We'll be able to talk more about that part of the story later,'' he said.

''There's a possibility that some of the drugs, such as the one based on monoclonal antibodies, and such as those arriving in Croatia at the end of the month, will mean that the patient will need to sign a statement before using them,'' said Puljiz.

"It simply came to our notice then. It hasn't yet been defined, but I assume it will be the case. The drugs which are given orally will not need signatures,'' he said.

The only therapies given to try to treat a more severe clinical picture of the disease at this moment in time are oxygen, corticosteroids and some other drugs that work to reduce inflammation and drugs that prevent blood clotting.

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December the 12th, 2021 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health has altered the previous recommendation surrounding Croatian covid booster doses. The previous rule stated that a minimum of six months must have passed since the primary vaccination was completed (either since the second dose with a vaccine that requires two doses for a person to be considered fully vaccinated, or since the first dose in single dose vaccines such as Janssen). That has now been scrapped.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Institute of Public Health is now making some new recommendations, according to which booster vaccination will be recommended in Croatia after three months following the end of primary vaccination. The above was explained by Minister of Health Vili Beros.

So far, the Croatian Institute of Public Health's recommendations have been to wait six months following the end of primary vaccination, as stated above, but as Health Minister Vili Beros confirmed to Index recently, a set of new recommendations are now underway, which will advise everyone to come for a booster dose after three months following the end of their primary vaccination.

"The EMA (European Medicines Agency) recommended a booster dose three months after vaccination and the Public Health Institute is now making new recommendations based on that, according to which a Croatian covid booster vaccine will be recommended after three months," said Minister Beros.

Earlier on, at the Government session, Prime Minister Plenkovic said: "On behalf of the Croatian Government, I'd like to call on all those who have been vaccinated to be vaccinated with their third dose before six months of receiving the second dose passes, especially in these circumstances around Christmas."

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ZAGREB, 11 Dec, 2021 - Croatia has registered 3,860 new coronavirus cases and 58 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Saturday.

The number of active cases stands at 26,483 and among them 2,290 infected persons are receiving hospital treatment, including 323 who are on ventilators.

A total of 23,895 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 651,863 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 11,574 have died.

A total of 613,806 people have recovered, including 4,143 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,570,483 people have tested for the new virus, of whom 11,161 in the last 24 hours.

54.81% of total population vaccinated

As of Friday, 4,361,237 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.81 per cent of the total population, or 65.36 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated.

A total of 2,224,323 people have received at least one dose and 2,029,476 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 59.84 per cent of the adult population.

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December 10, 2021 - Will there be stricter holiday measures in Croatia? Interior Minister Davor Božinović weighs in on what we can expect this winter. 

Interior Minister Davor Božinović revealed on Thursday that Croatia was not considering new Christmas and New Year measures, saying that the goal was to keep Croatia open.

"We are not considering new measures for Christmas and New Year; the fact is that our numbers have been falling for a couple of weeks now," Božinović told RTL as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija.

"With the anti-epidemic measures that have been adopted and are being implemented, our goal is to keep Croatia open, unlike the vast majority of EU members," the minister added.

Referring to the position of President Zoran Milanovic when it comes to Headquarters' measures and Covid-certificates checks in his Pantovcak office, Božinović said that the fact was that everyone in the presidential office was vaccinated and that President Milanović himself showed his position on vaccination by being vaccinated with three doses. 

"He sent a message that he understands that this is a serious health threat and that people need to be protected, and there is no better protection than vaccines. Moreover, because it is completely clear from all analyzes and statistics, in countries where more people are vaccinated, fewer people die," said Božinović.

He pointed out that he thought it would be suitable for all those who were vaccinated "who can and have an impact on at least part of the Croatian public space, to explain the reasons why they were vaccinated and to recommend it to others."

Referring to MOST's collection of signatures for a referendum that would regulate the work of the National Headquarters and abolish Covid-certificates, Božinović said he thought the issue was already legally communicated and that the government was doing what was best for Croatian citizens to protect health and slow the spread of the epidemic.

Asked by reporters whether and when the third vaccine dose would mean an unlimited duration of Covid certificates, Božinović warned that the question remained open as long as there was no relevant evidence of the booster dose protection.

“There is a difference between 'unlimited' and, at the moment, 'no limit’, which is logical, because at the moment there are no analyzes that could relevantly prove how long booster dose protection lasts,” he said.

"It is known that it increases the body's immunity 25 times, but no one knows how fast it will decrease at the moment, and no one can determine a date or time when a booster dose certificate will be valid, so it's an open story," Božinović added.

Minister Božinović is in Brussels, where he participated in meeting the interior ministers of the member states. Asked by reporters how he commented on the actions of police officers filmed beating migrants, he said he could not comment on ongoing disciplinary proceedings. When asked whether Croatia would pay compensation or appeal the decision in the case of the dead Medina girl, the minister said that lawyers are already working on it. External legal experts will be hired to see all the circumstances of the tragedy.

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ZAGREB, 9 Dec 2021- Zagreb police said on Thursday they would press misdemeanour charges against a 42-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man for organising public gatherings against COVID certificates on several occasions late in November without having informed the police.

An investigation established that the woman organised the gatherings on 21, 22, 24, 25 and 29 November in St. Mark's Square, where Government House, Parliament House and the Constitutional Court are located, and nearby streets without informing the police or taking measures to keep the order.

The police said COVID rules, including assembly restrictions, were not complied with during the gatherings.

As to the man, the police suspect he organised and led a public gathering outside the County Court against COVID certificates and in support of Marko Francišković, who was arrested last Friday together with seven others on suspicion of inciting terrorism.

ZAGREB, 9 Dec 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Thursday that Croatia's anti-epidemic rules were among the most liberal measures in Europe, and failure to adhere to them could push the country into a fifth wave and potential lockdown.

The proposed amendments to the law on the protection of the population against contagious diseases would not have been necessary if the measures had been adhered to, the minister said in the parliament while presenting the bill of amendments.

"Many countries have introduced significantly stricter measures than those in force in Croatia and not adhering to one of the most liberal measures in Europe could easily lead us to a new, fifth wave of the epidemic and the potential situation of lockdown which we do not wish to repeat," Beroš told lawmakers.

It is encouraging to see that the coronavirus numbers have been falling over recent days, which isn't a coincidence but the result of decisions by the COVID response team that is based on expertise, Beroš said.

Accessible and free - vaccination and testing

"There is no reason to not implement the measures or to object to them; they aren't discriminatory nor do they create division, on the contrary, they are inclusive. An additional inspiration to respect rules is the appearance of the omicron variant, as a new threat," he said.

He recalled that vaccination and testing are accessible and free for citizens.

"Had we been united in implementing measures and in complying with them, these amendments would not have been necessary," said Beroš, explaining why penalties of HRK 30,000 to HRK 50,000 are being introduced for breaches of COVID certificates.

He denied insinuations by some opposition MPs that the amendments are being made for a "showdown" with some politicians from the Opposition.

"The amendments are being made to protect the health and lives of citizens. When you advocate testing, that just reflects the importance of the application of COVID certificates," Beroš said in his response to MP Miro Bulj who insisted that only testing could prevent the spread of the virus.

Beroš rejected criticism that COVID certificates restrict movement, in fact, on the contrary, they allow people to cross the border.

"No one claims that COVID certificates are an optimal tool but at the moment they are the best we have," said the minister.

He added that there is no need for a two-thirds majority in the Sabor to support the measures because the current crisis management model in the pandemic is good, fast and efficient and it is in line with the law that was adopted in the national legislature.

ZAGREB, 9 Dec 2021 - Croatia has registered 4,428 new coronavirus cases and 62 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Thursday.

The number of active cases stands at 27,683 and among them are 2,352 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 321 who are on ventilators. A total of 24,305 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 644,206 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 11,445 have died.

A total of 605,078 have recovered, including 3,904 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,548,144 people have tested for the new virus, of whom 12,833 in the last 24 hours.

As of Wednesday, 4,314,136 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.65 per cent of the total population, or 65.17 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,217,755 people have received at least one dose and 2,009,860 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 59.28 per cent of the adult population.

ZAGREB, 8 Dec, 2021 - Croatia has registered 4,751 new coronavirus cases and 54 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Wednesday morning.

The number of active cases stands at 27,221 and among them are 2,412 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 320 who are on ventilators. A total of 22,342 people are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 639,778 people have been registered as having contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, of whom 11,383 have died and 601,174 have recovered, including 2,583 in the last 24 hours.

To date, 3,535,311 people have tested for the new virus, of whom 12,790 in the last 24 hours.

As of Tuesday, 4,289,179 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 54.56 per cent of the total population, or 65.07 per cent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,214,222 people have received at least one dose and 1,998,930 of them have been fully vaccinated, which is 58.97 per cent of the adult population.

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December the 7th, 2021 - The first Croatian teacher has lost their job at a school following their refusal to regularly test for the presence of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, or be vaccinated against it. The recently introduced rules on the presentation of valid covid certificates to enter such a place of work has seen to it that their employment contract has been terminated.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as the Bjelovar school principal Dario Malogorski confirmed to Jutarnji list, an agreement to terminate the employment contract of one Croatian teacher was signed with the employee in question on Monday. This was preceded by two warnings before their dismissal.

The individual in question is a younger Croatian teacher who became officially employed at the school on September the 1st this year. He told the school principal that he did not agree with the epidemiological measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus and that he did not agree to present any sort of covid certificates out of his own principles. Principal Malogorski points out that the Croatian teacher, not wanting to give the school any further problems, agreed to sign an amicable dismissal.

"The reason for the termination of this teacher's contract is their disagreement with the measures. I have to say that my colleague didn't make a scene, they didn't threaten anyone or anything, he simply didn't agree with the recently introduced measure about covid certificates and since its introduction he has never come to work,'' says Malogorski. During this time, classes for what would have been his students were organised through substite teachers, a job taken on by his colleagues.

Prior to the termination of the contract, the principal sent a warning to this Croatian teacher from Bjelovar on two occasions by mail before organising for their dismissal, but no return receipt arrived at the school, which means that the person didn't even bother to pick up their mail. Logically, given that a covid certificate is required to even enter the post office. The school principal therefore sent a few warnings via e-mail. He didn't receive a statement from this member of staff on those previously issued warnings either.

"We spoke on Thursday and Friday, and the teacher agreed to the agreed upon dismissal, which means that we have no claims against each other. In this situation, this is the best solution. I can't go into his principles, but I emphasise, my colleague behaved totally fairly, except that they didn't come to class to teach their students, so we had to organise replacements,'' concluded the school's principal.

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ZAGREB, 7 Dec, 2021 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health said on Tuesday that all contacts of persons infected or suspected to be infected with the Omicron COVID-19 variant must quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or have recovered from the disease.

They must also undergo PCR testing on the first and last days of the quarantine. If Omicron infection is ruled out, the 14-day quarantine ends.

Croatia has confirmed three Omicron cases to date.

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