October the 15th, 2021 - The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, has stated that he hopes we're now experiencing the very peak of the fourth wave and that we'll soon see the infection rate begin to drop again.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Krunoslav Capak recently spoke about the worrying large number of infections in neighbouring Serbia, but also about the big jump the same sense here in Croatia, as well as the third dose of the vaccine. Here in Croatia, after five months, we have seen quite a dramatic jump in the infection rate. Krunoslav Capak said that if you were to ask him personally, that he doesn't expect these figures to go over 2000.

"But if you look at the weekly averages - we're in stagnant growth. The first three days of this week had fewer cases than the first three days of last week. I'd dare to say and we hope that this is the peak of the fourth wave and that the numbers will now come back down again,'' he said.

Krunoslav Capak also said that he thinks that we're now right in the very peak of the fourth wave, although cooler, less stable weather is coming and that can pose a danger for the epidemiological situation, much like it did last year when things were at their very worst.

"We always need to remember that we have a large number of people who still aren't vaccinated, people who are unwell or overweight... That said, we also have a population that is already used to all of this, that more or less maintains social distance, doesn't attend gatherings, doesn't spend much time in closed spaces, so we're hoping that we might see the peak and that in a short time, meaning the second half of October, the numbers will start to fall,'' Krunoslav Capak said.

"If the virus is allowed a lot of space, it can spread"

He also commented on the situation in neighbouring Serbia, which has an average of more than 6,500 infected people per day.

"Despite the level of vaccination there, which is very similar to ours in Croatia, if the virus is allowed a lot of space to spread, it will do precisely that,'' he said.

Krunoslav Capak also said that high numbers for the winter are possible in Croatia, too.

"We hope that this won't happen, because we're at another level of vaccination, we have different epidemiological measures and the quality of compliance with these measures is different," he said.

A booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine

He also commented on the recommendations for the third, so-called coronavirus booster dose.

He talked about whether these booster vaccinations will be organised in hospitals and in nursing homes like last winter or whether it will take place at mass vaccination points.

"In our document, we recommended that vaccinations be organised for inpatient social care institutions and in the healthcare system, as was the case with the first set of vaccinations, while for all other categories, in consultation with a doctor, we can of course organise vaccinations at mass vaccination points," said Capak for RTL.

The prolongation of the Croatian covid certificates after a booster or third dose of the vaccine

Capak also said that they haven't yet determined the dates when they will start with the third dose, but that it will happen very soon.

When asked if anyone could come to the vaccination point on their own and say they live with an immunocompromised person and want to be vaccinated with the third dose, Capak replied: “The direct answer to your question is that yes, they'll be able to do that. We always have doctors present at these mass vaccination sites. Anyone can get vaccinated in consultation with a doctor.''

He also answered whether the third dose prolongs the duration of Croatian covid certificates.

“Given the fact that the EMA has now approved it, we're going to introduce the possibility for people to be vaccinated like this. Work is underway to deal with it all in terms of IT and to create business rules for issuing covid certificates. According to us, we're ready to extend people's covid certificates after that booster or third dose for another year,'' he concluded.

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ZAGREB, 14 Oct 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said in Parliament on Thursday that HRK 2.31 billion had been paid from contributions for compulsory health insurance for COVID-19 testing and treatment in the period from the start of the coronavirus pandemic to the end of August 2021.

HRK 2.31 billion was paid by the Croatian Health Insurance Institute, Beroš said while presenting a quarterly report on measures taken to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Commenting on concern about the nation's state of health, the minister said that contacts between citizens and their general practitioners had dropped by only 1.9% and that the number of phone contacts and e-mail messages had increased while prevention measures, notably for cancer patients, were largely proceeding normally considering the circumstances.

As for the number of ordered COVID-19 vaccines, he explained that it refers not just to this year but also to 2022 and 2023.

Vaccine effective in 75 to 80% of cases involving new virus variants

Speaking of the correlation between vaccination and mortality, Beroš said that the vaccine was effective against new variants of the virus.

"We have to be grateful to science and the medical profession for producing a vaccine that is effective against new variants in 75 to 80% of cases. This vaccine, just as any other vaccine, does not protect 100%," Beroš said.

Speaking of the June-August period, he said that the epidemic was much less intense, which contributed to the excellent tourism results.

In the period covered by the report, the health system adjusted, reduced the number of COVID wards, and increased the provision of medical services to other patients, continuing to intensively implement testing and monitoring of infected patients as well as vaccination, he said.

1.5 million vaccine doses administered over three months

The minister said that since early June, 249 venues had been set up across the country, mostly in the coastal areas, for rapid antigen testing and issuing of COVID-19 certificates, and that in the June-August period 1.5 million vaccine doses were administered.

"Despite a large number of tourists and domestic residents, we managed to maintain a calm and stable epidemiological situation in the country, securing for ourselves the status of the safest Mediterranean destination," he said, adding that in the three-month period 18,622 cases of infection were recorded.

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

ZAGREB, 14 Oct 2021 - The parliamentary Opposition on Thursday reiterated that Croatia does not have a clear strategy to fight the coronavirus pandemic, expressing dissatisfaction with the way the crisis is being managed and calling for changing it.

"The attitude to COVID-19 has to change drastically. If the current situation continues, we will all end up on sedatives," said Marijan Pavliček of the Croatian Sovereignists ahead of a debate on the government's report on the impact of epidemiological measures taken in the period from June to the end of August.

Pavliček believes that over the past year and a half Croatians have been living in a paranormal system and "are going collectively insane."

The national coronavirus crisis management team has made a number of political instead of epidemiologically justified decisions, people are bombarded with the number of fatalities and new infections on a daily basis, he said.

"Do we have an exit strategy for this crisis and is it time we changed our attitude to COVID-19?" he asked.

Davor Dretar (Homeland Movement) claims that the crisis is being managed irresponsibly and irrationally, mentioning a case of a hospital cleaner from Zabok who was dismissed from work because she did not have a COVID-19 certificate and refused to get tested.

HDZ MP: What would have happened if doctors had cited human rights when there was no vaccine?

HDZ MP Željko Reiner confirmed that many people were refusing to get vaccinated and tested free of charge citing human rights and the alleged harmfulness of the vaccine as well as face masks.

"What would society have done if tens of thousands of doctors and nurses had invoked their human rights, fear from disease and death, while there was still no vaccine, and refused to treat patients?" he asked.

He called on Health Minister Vili Beroš, a neurosurgeon, to say what he would do if his colleagues performing operations refused to wear masks, gloves, caps, in the context of claims that it was not proven that they protected patients.

"How would society and the profession react?" he said.

Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Peđa Grbin said he had a different message for Beroš.

"I believe that you want the situation to get better but what you have been doing is not contributing to it. Because of your inconsistency, the figures are as they are," he told Beroš, recalling that on Wednesday Croatia recorded, after a longer time, more than 2,000 new infections.

"That is horrible but so is the minister's statement that he and the prime minister were surprised by those figures. Why the surprise when it is clear that Croatia lacks a clear strategy to fight the pandemic and increase the vaccination rate," Grbin said, adding that 85% of Portugal's adult population were vaccinated because people were not sent confusing messages.

Marija Selak Raspudić of the Bridge party said that the government's report lacked crucial information such as how many citizens suffer from the post-COVID syndrome, what were the criteria for the procurement of vaccines, why exactly 18 million doses were procured and not more or less, etc.

ZAGREB, 14 Oct 2021 - Croatia has registered 1,851 new coronavirus cases and 18 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team said on Thursday morning.

Currently, there are 9,620 active cases in the country. These include 871 infected people who are receiving hospital treatment, of whom 122 are placed on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 422,908 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 8,847 have died and 404,441 have recovered, including 1,305 in the last 24 hours. 18,890 people are currently self-isolating.

 A total of 2,944,660 people have been tested for coronavirus to date, including 9,484 in the last 24 hours.

As of 13 October, 3,503,116 doses of vaccines have been administered, with 45.88 percent of the total population, or 55 percent of adults, having been vaccinated. A total of 1,861,783 persons have received at least one dose and 1,744,717 have been fully inoculated (1,641,333 persons have received two doses and 103,384 have received the single-dose Jannsen vaccine), which makes up 51.64 percent of the adult population.

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ZAGREB, 13 October, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, Croatia conducted 10,218 coronavirus tests, and of them 2,022, or 19.8%, have turned out to be positive, the country's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Wednesday.

The new cases numbers thus exceeded the mark of 2,000 daily cases for the first time in the last five months.

In the last 24 hours, the COVID-related death toll has increased by 27 to 8,829.

There are currently 9,092 active cases, and of them 855 are hospitalised patients, including 128 infected patients placed on ventilators.

As many as 17,305 people are self-isolating.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus on 25 February 2020, Croatia has conducted over 2.93 million tests which have detected 421,057 cases of the infection. So far, 403,136 infected persons have recovered  from this disease, including 971 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Nearly 3.5 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered, and 54.91% of adult citizens have been given a shot.

A total of 51.53% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

ZAGREB, 12 October, 2021 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health on Tuesday issued recommendations for third doses and booster shots in the process of immunisation against coronavirus.

The administration of the third dose is recommended for people with severe underlying health conditions and they should receive it within a time-frame defined by doctors who are treating their diseases.

Booster shots are given within a larger time span since the completion of primary inoculation and they are administered to provide extra protection over a longer period of time.

People who have recovered from COVID-19 and have been vaccinated against this infection do not need the third dose, says the HZJZ.

The Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine is recommended for additional inoculation and it should be applied after at least six months since the completion of the two-round vaccination.

ZAGREB, 13 October, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday the decision to make COVID certificates mandatory in health and social care was made solely to protect people's health.

"I think the decision to introduce COVID certificates in health and social care is logical and normal," he told the press.

Plenković was commenting on the fact that the Constitutional Court will rule if that decision by the national COVID-19 crisis management team is in line with the constitution, as confirmed by Court president Miroslav Šeparović yesterday.

As of 4 October, employees in the health and social care sectors, as well as some patients, must have a COVID certificate or undergo testing if they have not been vaccinated or recovered from the virus.

That decision was made to protect the health of everyone working in those institutions as well as their residents and patients, said Plenković. "I think that's normal... And I think the principle of proportionality has been fully honoured."

"I don't know what the Constitutional Court will decide... However, questioning all decisions, including this one, is normal. And the only reason we adopt any epidemiological measure is the protection of our fellow citizens' health," he said, once again calling on those have not to get vaccinated.

October 12, 2021 - People can receive the third Covid shot in Croatia based on the published recommendations by the Croatian Institute of Public Health. 

The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) has published recommendations for the third Covid-19 vaccine dose in immunocompromised persons and re-vaccination with the third dose of persons who have completed primary vaccination, which is possible in Croatia as of today, reports Index.hr.

Administering the third vaccine dose is recommended for certain categories of immunocompromised individuals, as an additional dose to those who are presumed not to have developed a complete or satisfactory immune response to the vaccine. The time when the third dose is needed is decided by the specialist doctor who treats the person.

Unlike an additional dose, a booster dose is administered with a longer time lag than the primary vaccination series to prolong the duration of protection against the virus.

Therefore, revaccination is recommended for residents of homes for the elderly and infirm and adults with disabilities, workers employed by accommodation providers for the elderly and infirm and adults with disabilities, and other accommodation providers, and health professionals who directly care for patients, health care workers and all persons aged 65 and over.

The third dose is also recommended for all persons aged 18 and over who share a household with immunocompromised and extremely sensitive persons, and for all persons aged 18 and over who suffer from chronic diseases that increase the risk of more severe forms of Covid-19.

Taking into account the specifics of health as well as family and work environment that may be important in deciding on vaccination, all persons aged 18 and over who have passed at least 6 months after completing primary vaccination can be vaccinated after consulting a doctor.

People who recovered from Covid-19 and started and finished primary vaccination after recovering do not need a third dose.

Comirnaty (Pfizer) is recommended for revaccination at least six months after the end of the primary vaccination, as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has authorized the vaccine dose for this vaccine only.

"For people who have been primarily vaccinated with other vaccines, vaccination with Comirnaty goes beyond the approved indications, i.e., it is an off-label use that we consider justified based on available medical knowledge. An evaluation of the third dose of Spikevax is expected soon (Moderna), and we will revise these recommendations in accordance with the assessment," said HZJZ. 

For revaccination and administration of the third dose, citizens can use all available vaccination channels: unannounced vaccination points, selected family doctor, or on-site vaccination (homes for the elderly, health care facilities, etc.).

HZJZ notes that the priority is to be vaccinated with two doses (or once in the case of the Janssen vaccine) for those who have not yet been vaccinated.

"We recommend revaccination against COVID-19 to the following categories of the population:

a. users of homes for the elderly and infirm and adults with disabilities

b. workers employed by accommodation providers for the elderly and infirm and adults with disabilities and by other accommodation providers

c. healthcare professionals who directly care for patients: any level of healthcare

d. all persons aged 65 and over,

e. all persons aged 18 and over who share a household with immunocompromised and highly sensitive persons,

f. all persons aged 18 and over who suffer from chronic diseases which increase the risk of more severe forms of COVID-19 disease," the recommendation reads.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 12 October, 2021 - Croatia has registered 1,007 new coronavirus infections and 24 related deaths over the past 24 hours, and the number of active cases stands at 8,068, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday.

There are 870 COVID patients in hospitals, including 140 on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia recorded its first coronavirus infection, a total of 419,035 people have been registered as having contracted the virus, 8,802 of them have died, and 402,165 have recovered, including 1,200 in the last 24 hours.

There are currently 16,185 people in self-isolation.

To date, a total of 2,924,958 people have been tested, 8,928 of whom over the past 24 hours.

As at Monday, 3,491,225 vaccine doses against the novel virus were administered, and 45.72% of the total population or 54.82% of the adult population was vaccinated.

The share of the adult population fully vaccinated stood at 51.43% on Monday.

ZAGREB, 12 October, 2021 - Constitutional Court President Miroslav Šeparović, re-elected to the post on Monday, has confirmed that the latest decision by the national coronavirus management team would be tested for compliance with the Constitution.

In late September, the national COVID-19 response team decided to introduce, as of 4 October, obligatory COVID-19 certificates or testing for coronavirus for employees in the healthcare and welfare system who have not been vaccinated or have not recovered from COVID-19. The obligation also applies to some of the patients. 

"An attorney from Koprivnica has filed a motion to test the constitutionality of the latest decision of the national COVID-19 response team," Šeparović told RTL television, adding that he must not comment on ongoing cases and especially must not prejudge their outcome.

"The government is now expected to state its position on the matter, and it will be given some 15 days to do so, after which we will examine other circumstances, possibly also opinions, and that will take two to three months," Šeparović said, adding that it was difficult to expect a decision sooner.

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