May the 9th, 2021 - Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic has discussed the controversial new ''covid passports'' which he insists are not passports and must not be referred to as that, despite it being both easier to remember and easier to say. Could Croatia's digital green certificates be ready by next month?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Bozinovic stated that ''they aren't passports, let's not call get into the habit of calling them that, maybe it's easier to say that these are digital green certificates that refer to facilitating international travel. They will be interoperable, and they'll allow mutual recognition of vaccination, recovery and testing certificates.

By a majority vote, European Union lawmakers backed the digital green certificates proposal, Bozinovic noted, adding that the final proposal has yet to be adopted, and that it will likely happen in the first half of June.

"Croatia is in the advanced stage of implementing a national technical solution and we're ready to test it on the available European Union platform. Particular emphasis should be placed on the importance of databases, the accuracy and entry of all data as certificates will be issued based on the databases of people who have already recovered from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, those who have been tested in the last 48 hours and people who've been vaccinated.

We're in favour of the adoption of these regulations as soon as possible. With out participation in the pilot project, we've become one of the EU member states that will be ready to issue certificates as early as June the 1st. In Croatia, these certificates will be issued in digital PDF format, and people will be able to submit their applications through the e-citizens system. Certificates in physical form for people who request them will be issued in some of the 150 HZZO offices. The verification of these certificates will be carried out by reading QR codes, and 250 certificate readers have already been deployed at the country's border crossings,'' pointed out Bozinovic.

The entercroatia.mup.hr portal will provide announcements for the arrival of foreign nationals, which will shorten the time spent at Croatian borders. Passengers will be able download their receipts for their digital green certificates in PDF format on the aforementioned page before their arrival for the purpose of verification as soon as possible.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, from border, travel and quarantine rules to the locations of vaccination points and testing sites across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

May 8, 2021 - Croatia on Saturday confirmed its commitment to help coronavirus hit India in dealing with the difficult healthcare situation caused by the pandemic.

On Friday, for the second day in a row, India reported a record number of over 400,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, and nearly 4,000 people died.

European leaders, including Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, discussed the situation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the EU Social Summit in Porto. The meeting was held by video link because Modi had to cancel his trip to Porto because of the pandemic.

Plenković expressed solidarity with India on Croatia's behalf and announced assistance as part of the European Union. Some of the member states, such as Spain, which has sent 167 ventilators this week, announced material aid.

Some EU heads of government, including Plenković and Spain's Pedro Sánchez, said during the EU summit that it was essential that COVID-19 vaccines reached all parts of the world.

Some countries, led by Germany, where pharmaceutical companies are based, opposed the initiative to waive patent protection for COVID-19 vaccines. The initiative was launched by India and South Africa, and last week it was joined by the new US administration of President Joe Biden.

 Plenković told the Croatian media on Friday that this was a positive initiative because vaccine doses would become cheaper, while Sánchez said that there was no point in the EU achieving its vaccination goal if the rest of the world lagged behind.

For more news, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

May 8, 2021 – Doctors at KBC Zagreb were forced to use an unconventional procedure to save two lives when faced with a pregnant COVID patient whose condition was becoming life-threatening.

Doctors in University Hospital Centre Zagreb (KBC Zagreb) managed to perform quite a feat. They did a successful C-Section procedure on a pregnant woman with a bad case of COVID. The patient had to use a respirator to help her breathe. The procedure in question is a brand new technique that is rare in practise.

The University Hospital Centre Zagreb dates back to 1942 and is the country's biggest hospital. It also acts as a teaching hospital for the University of Zagreb's medical programs. KBC Zagreb is one of the country’s most renowned medical institutions with a long tradition of highly skilled medical professionals. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise the team at this institution was the one to do such a complex and risky procedure so successfully.

Urgent Procedure

As reported by index.hr the patient was 32 weeks pregnant. She came to the hospital with a bad case of COVID. The disease compromised her lungs and the doctors decided to put her on a respirator. Seeing how the condition was life-threatening to both the patient and her baby, they eventually decided to do a Caesarean Section. The procedure involved using an unconventional method that was technically very demanding. Circulation was routed through a dialysis machine and special filter in order to reduce the inflammation process and stabilise the patient. At the same time, aided by a team of gynaecologists, the C-Section was successfully performed and the baby was saved.

Both the mother and the child recovered. The hospital released the child already, while the mother is expecting to go home next week. In the end, the exciting story got a happy conclusion. KBC Zagreb doctors once again proved they are deserving of their professional reputation.

Medical professionals in Croatia continue their exhausting fight against the COVID19 epidemic. They urge the population to follow the safety guidelines and help prevent the spread of the disease. It is important to note how KBC Zagreb is working at full capacity. But the recent trend of a slow, but steady drop in the number of new cases is making everyone a bit more optimistic

For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

May 7, 2021 - TCN's regular retrospect of Highlights of the week, through the selection of TCN's reporter Ivor Kruljac. 

President Milanović loved by locals in Plaški. Firefighters quickly reacted to the fire in Zagreb recycle yard. Pula celebrated its liberation while Šibenik received new doses of coronavirus vaccines. Dinamo and Hajduk end their match in a tie. Overall another interesting week in Croatia, and here are more details on all highlights.

 Highlights of the week: President Milanović loved in Plaški county

© Kristina Stedul Fabac/ PIXSELL

Croatian president Zoran Milanović visited Plaški county near Ogulin on Tuesday to visit the newly-build Firefighter's home and Plaški Culture Home. The locals welcomed president Milanović with ovations, and many use the opportunity to handshake and take a photo with the president. As Večernji List reports, Milanović took the visit as an opportunity to comment on the hate speech incident at Borovo Selo. He stated that the President of Serbian National Council Milorad Pupovac and Croatian Prime Minister „should use the police, but they don't, they are causing incidents.

Highlights of the Week: Pula celebrating its liberation in WW2

© Srecko Niketic/ PIXSELL

Pula celebrated its annual liberation day and the Pula City Day, marked on May 5. In Tito's park, the traditional commemoration to the fallen WW2 soldiers of Tito's partisan army saw Tiziano Sošić (president of Pula City Council), Elena Puh Belci (vice mayor of Pula), Aleksandar Matić (chief of the City of Pula Office) and Fabrizio Radin (vice-county ruler of Istria county) paid their respects. Representatives of associations of anti-fascist fighters and anti-fascist of the city of Pula were present too. 

 Highlights of the Week: Dinamo and Hajduk end with an even score 1:1

© Milan Sabic/ PIXSELL

Hajduk and Dinamo's eternal opponents played another game at Hajduk's home of Poljud Stadium in Split on Wednesday. The match was the 22nd round in Croatian First League, and fans couldn't wait for it as the game was postponed.

Hajduk opened the match well and had a chance to take the lead in the first 20 seconds. Kačaniklić received an excellent long ball and ran on the right side. He rushed into the penalty area and shot diagonally, but Livaković came out and closed his corner. Dinamo improved and took the lead in the 16th minute with a goal by Majer, and Livaja returned the favor in the 44th minute. Diamantakos hit the crossbar in the final minutes of the match but without success.

After three victories in the previous three clashes with Hajduk this season, Dinamo failed to achieve maximum performance and almost mathematically secured the title but entered the last four rounds with a seven-point advantage over Osijek. The fail happened despite Dinamo facing Hajduk with the strongest possible lineup.  

Highlights of the Week: Vaccination in Šibenik continues successfully

© Hrvoje Jelavic/ PIXSELL

Larger quantities of vaccines came to Šibenik on Friday, allowing vaccination in Baldeki Sports Hall to go without problems for the second day in the row. The vaccination attracts a number of citizens, so the area got quite crowded.

Highlights of the Week: Recycling yard in Zagreb on fire, reasons unclear

© Matija Habljak/ PIXSELL

Zagreb's recycling yard, located on Sarajevska Cesta in Novi Zagreb, was victimized by fire but quickly localized and put under control on Tuesday. The fire caught four containers, and 21 firefighters with six fire trucks rushed to the field. Police investigated the cause of the fire, but the reason is, for the moment, unknown. Firefighters managed to operate despite the lack of hydrants, and the thick white smoke was noticed by citizens who live in the buildings close to the yard, reported Večernji List. 

To learn more about Croatia, have a look at our newly launched TC website.

For more about news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 7 May, 2021 - Over the past 24 hours, 1,435 new cases of the coronavirus infection have been confirmed in Croatia, and there have been 33 related deaths, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Friday.

The number of active cases in Croatia today stands at 11,265. There are 2,079 COVID patients in hospitals, 242 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia registered its first case of the infection with the novel virus, a total of 342,487 people have been registered as having contracted coronavirus, 7,388 of them have died, while 323,834 have recovered, including 2,079 in the last 24 hours.

There are 28,436 people in self-isolation.

To date, 1,863,305 people have been tested, including 7,682 over the past 24 hours.

As at 6 May, 1,025,701 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Croatia. So far, 796,909 people have received at least one dose, and 228,792 of them have received both doses.

For more about Covid-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, May 6, 2021 - In the last 24 hours, 9,069 tests have been conducted for coronavirus, and 18% of them, that 1,640, have turned out to be positive, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

In the last 24 hours, the COVID-related death toll has increased by 40 to 7,355.

There are currently, 11,942 active cases, and of them 2,106 are hospitalised patients, including 236 patients placed on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia confirmed its first case of the infection with the novel virus, there have been 341,052 cases of the COVID infection, and of them 321,755 have recovered to date, including 1,793 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

More than 1.85 million tests have been conducted to date.

There are now 30,067 people in self-isolation.

Under its vaccine rollout plan, Croatia has so far administered 979,181 doses of the vaccination. Over 760,000 people have been given at least one shot, and 218,376 of them have received both doses of the two-dose vaccine.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page

May 5, 2021 - People in Zagreb are getting their vaccines against the novel coronavirus, and the ‘‘Dr. Andrija Štampar’’ Institute has some vaccine information for them.

The vaccination process is continuing across all regions of Croatia to combat the novel coronavirus, even after a few weeks of uncertainty marked by problems with the vaccination portal cijepi.se. One of the vaccination points in the capital is at the Zagreb Fair, and those in charge have vaccine information about both doses for those who attend this vaccination point.

According to Our World in Data, as of 4 May, 944,398 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Croatia, with 734,556 people receiving the first dose and 209,842 receiving both doses.

As reported by tportal.hr, the "Dr. Andrija Štampar" Institute wants to inform all citizens of the City of Zagreb who have been vaccinated with the first dose at the vaccination point at the Zagreb Fair that they have been referred for vaccination with the second dose. The term of vaccination with the second dose was defined in accordance with the recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

Citizens can check the exact date for their second dose of vaccination at the Fair via the e-Citizens system, by calling the toll-free number 0800 8804 or via their selected family doctor (GP).

The "Dr. Andrija Štampar" Institute has also noted that the second dose of vaccination at the vaccination point at the Zagreb Fair is being organised exclusively for people who have already received their first dose of vaccine at that point. People without an referral term will not be vaccinated there due to limited organisational capacity.

In addition, "Stampar" has asked citizens to strictly adhere to the referral deadlines in order to avoid unnecessary crowds and for the purpose of more consistent adherence to epidemiological measures and recommendations.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section.

ZAGREB, 5 May, 2021 - Croatia has registered 2,494 new coronavirus cases and 51 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Wednesday.

The number of active cases currently stands at 12,135. Among them are 2,123 infected people receiving hospital treatment, of whom 246 are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 339,412 people have been registered as having contracted the novel virus, of whom 7,315 have died and 319,962 have recovered, including 1,341 in the last 24 hours. Currently, 28,581 people are in self-isolation.

A total of 1,846,554 people have been tested for coronavirus to date, including 10,446 in the last 24 hours.

As of 4 May, 944,398 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 734,556 people receiving the first dose and 209,842 receiving both doses.

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

ZAGREB, 4 May, 2021 - In the past 24 hours, 1,396 new cases of coronavirus have been detected in Croatia while 46 people have died as a consequence, the national COVID response team reported on Tuesday.

There are a total of 11,033 active cases in the country, including 2,169 hospitalised patients, 259 of whom are on ventilators.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, there have been 336,918 registered cases of the novel coronavirus, 7,264 people have died as a consequence and 318,621 have recovered, including 1,695 in the past 24 hours.

There are currently 27,733 people in self-isolation.

A total of 1,836,108 people have been tested for the virus to date, with 9,040 tests conducted in the past 24 hours.

As of 3 May, a total of 921,527 doses of vaccines have been administered and 716,861 people have been inoculated. Of that number 509,580 have received one dose and 204,666 have received both. For 2,615 people there is no data as to how many shots they have received.

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

May the 4th, 2021 - The very first Croatian drive-in vaccination point has been put into function in Virovitica-Podravina County as issues surrounding the vaccination process continue nationwide.

The Croatian vaccination rollout has been plagued by inadequate amounts of vaccine doses, problems at the European Union level involving contracts with the industry and of course, the latest in a series of unfortunate events being the failure of the online vaccine registration platform - Cijepi se.

You'd think that the very first Croatian drive-in vaccination point would be in the City of Zagreb, but it seems that a much smaller part of the country has come up with the idea first. Virovitica-Podravina county has decided that this is the best and quickest way of vaccinating the population against the novel coronavirus and hopefully bringing an end to the pandemic.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Miroslav Venus, the president of the Croatian Epidemiological Society, described to N1 how the brand new Croatian drive-in vaccination point functions.

“Drive-in vaccination is much more safe epidemiologically, because when people come on foot, they can end up spending a lot of time right next to each other. This is also more pleasant for people as an experience,'' explained Venus, adding that the vaccination rollout in Virovitica is being carried out at three points and that in addition to the drive-in at two points, the classic way of handling the vaccination process is also being performed, where people can still come on foot to receive their dose.

"By the end of June, we could have 50-60 percent of the population vaccinated against the novel coronavirus at the county level," Venus said.

Venus has also assessed the situation in the country when it comes to vaccinations as good, regardless of the problems that have arisen on both a national and at the European Union level.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section.