May the 23rd, 2021 - The epidemiological situation across Croatia continues to become more and more favourable, with infection rates dropping and the vaccination rollout picking up its pace as time goes on. With things looking far more positive, Krunoslav Capak, the director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, has encouragingly stated that we're edging closer and closer to the ''old normal' we took for granted before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, as the tourist season rapidly approaches and coronavirus cases continue on their downward trend, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic spoke about the somewhat controversial topic of so-called ''Covid passports'' and where Croatia currently stands.

"Croatia, as a country which relies heavily on tourism, has a strong motive to see all these solutions dealt with at the EU level, to be ready for its implementation as soon as possible. Our test was the first and we were the first to pass it successfully, not because we were first in line, but because some others weren't ready. We've done that part and we're ready. What has been published is legislation at the EU level. It's important that the certificates aren't referred to as travel documents, they're certificates that can confirm in a credible way for each person that the person has recovered, that they've been vaccinated or that they've tested negative", said Bozinovic.

"As for the parliament, I think the decision will be made on June the 7th, but that doesn't prevent us from starting to these certificates earlier. We have a week ahead of us in which we'll need to think about the new measures, given that the existing ones expire on May the 30th. Until then, we'll see in which direction to go further with concessions,'' he added.

''People who cannot be or haven't yet been vaccinated will not have to pay to be tested,'' Bozinovic assured.

Croatian test events: Everyone present returned a negative coronavirus test result.

When asked if the results of the pilot project had arrived since last week, Krunoslav Capak replied that they had results from the business event. There were 86 people who were vaccinated, and 32 who were vaccinated on the spot. "They're all negative," he said, which is extremely encouraging as we attempt to return to something like the old normal we were all so used to.

The second test event a wedding. "They were also all tested yesterday and we don't have a single positive test," Krunoslav Capak said.

"This is proof that in this way, if we provide access to the vaccinated, the sick and the tested, we can organise such events. We're close to teturning to the old normal ", Krunoslav Capak assured.

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

ZAGREB, 21 April, 2021 - Commenting on a commemoration for the Jasenovac victims and his non-acceptance of President Zoran Milanović's invitation to pay tribute to them together on Thursday, PM Andrej Plenković has said the Public Health Institute has recommended that visiting delegations pay tribute successively.

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Plenković clarified his recent statements on the topic.

"I was referring to my position on the president's office contacting the government and parliament to lay wreaths together. I made it clear that there is no reason to put on an act and that the government and the parliament will lay their wreaths on their own. There is no need to fake friendship, cooperation or unity considering what has been said and what has happened," Plenković said.

There will be no joint wreaths because "that is something that we benevolently wanted and attempted to do several times," he said, recalling that President Milanović laid a wreath in Vukovar on Vukovar Remembrance Day on his own.

Plenković added that the Jasenovac Memorial Area had scheduled visits by five different delegations, of the government, parliament, the office of the president, the victim peoples and foreign embassies, who were all given different time slots.

"We have gone there for years, and will go in the years to come. Not to spend time in somebody's company there but to pay tribute to the victims of the Ustasha camp of Jasenovac," said Plenković.

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

ZAGREB, 16 April, 2021 - Croatia can expect the delivery of 1.8 million Pfizer doses against coronavirus and the inoculation of 55% of the population against this infectious disease until 1 July, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Friday.

Representatives of the team said at a news conference that Croatia has registered a 32% weekly rise in new cases, and that the share of positive tests was 29.2% on Friday.

In terms of the incidence rate, Croatia  currently ranks 21st in the European Union and in the terms of the death rate, it ranks 17th, Croatia's chief epidemiologist Krunoslav Capak told the news conference.

"Pfizer has ramped up its delivery of vaccines for us. We Will have received a total of 1.805 million doses of this vaccine by the end of June," Capak said adding that he expected more than half of the population to get COVID shots before 1 July.

The head of the Zagreb-based Fran Mihaljević hospital for infectious diseases, Alemka Markotić called for additional caution before people get vaccinated.

"It would be a pity to develop serious symptoms of this disease now when we can be vaccinated soon," she said.

She said that the British variant of the novel virus was currently dominant in the European Union.

Markotić said that her hospital has been full with patients for days and that she was particularly concerned with the difficult condition of patients aged between 25 and 40.

Health Minister Vili Beroš reassured the general public that there would be enough vaccines for everyone who wishes to be immunised against this infectious disease.

Beroš dismissed accusations from some media outlets and Opposition lawmakers that the Cuspis company, which is allegedly owned by a family friend, had been favoured by the Health Ministry in the task to design the Cijepise (Get Vaccinated) platform.

Beroš said that all data concerning this issue were available on the ministry's website.

Beroš went on to say that the company had been hired by the ministry for some other tasks before he became an assistant minster and before his ministerial term.

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

ZAGREB, 17 March, 2021 - The number of new coronavirus infections in Croatia is up by 46% from last week and among the 12 COVID fatalities in the past 24 hours is a 12-year-old girl who had multiple comorbidities, the national COVID-19 response team said on Wednesday.

"In the three days of this week, we had 2,265 new cases, while in the first three days of last week, we had 1,547. The incidence is 222.7, the lowest  being in Istria County and highest in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County," said Krunoslav Capak, head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

In EU rankings, Croatia is seventh with the lowest incidence. Today 16.7% of the test results were positive (1,445 cases).

British variant detected in 50% of samples

Speaking of new variants, Capak said the British one was present in more than 50% of the sequenced samples.

"These new variants spread somewhat faster, and due to vaccination, nicer weather and the favourable situation we have had, people have relaxed. There is more and more socialising, gatherings, which is the biggest risk for the spread of coronavirus infection," he said, adding that the classic epidemiological measures were also effective against the new variants.

Asked if Croatia was in a third wave of the epidemic, Capak said it was difficult to say but that the important thing was to continue to fight to cut down the numbers of new cases, hospitalisations and deaths.

Speaking of the 12-year-old girl who died of COVID in the past 24 hours, Capak said she had a serious cardiovascular comorbidity.

He went on to say that less than 30% of people had refused the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Asked if the ministers who had recovered from COVID would be given that vaccine to promote it and if the vaccination of people over 65 with AstraZeneca would be suspended for fear of side effects, Capak said the response team was not considering either.

He said "we believe we have no reason" to suspend the administration of AstraZeneca to those over 65, adding that the European Medicines Agency's "commission on side effects is intensively investigating all side effects."

He said there was no difference in the occurrence of side effects with either Pfizer or AstraZeneca and that it was 0.5% in each.

Božinović: Existing regime should stay

The head of the national response team, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, said the existing regime of restrictions should stay and that possible changes should be made at county level.

Asked if restrictions would be tightened ahead of Easter, he said this regime could be kept up only if everyone was responsible and disciplined.

"In recent days the virus has been rapidly spreading in some parts of Croatia, so the measures should be considered at county level. Serious measures are in force, although they are the least restrictive in the European Union, and we will keep this regime only if everyone assumes responsibility."

Božinović said some counties were already tightening restrictions based on their epidemiological situation.

He would not comment on the suspension of vaccination with AstraZeneca in some countries despite there being no proof that some deaths were related to the vaccine. "We always explain the background of our decisions transparently and publicly, including this one to continue to administer AstraZeneca."

The head of Zagreb's Infections Diseases Hospital, Alemka Markotić, said she could not say how big the increase was in the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, adding that the outcomes of the children treated in her hospital were continually good and that the percentage was not high.

"The important thing is that the syndrome has been recognised. Our doctors manage to deal with it well and there are no major problems for now."

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

ZAGREB, 12 March, 2021 - The tourism season requires good preparation by the sector and destinations, including setting up VOVID testing stations, inoculating workers in tourism and ensuring safety protocols at border crossings, Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac said on Friday, meeting with directors of regional tourist boards.

During the video conference, which was also attended by the head of the Croatian Institute for Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, he spoke of the current situation with the pandemic and touched on so-called green passports which should represent a health document facilitating crossing borders.

He explained that the certificate would contain information on inoculation against, recovering from and being tested for COVID-19, which should ensure a balanced procedure in EU member states regarding conditions to cross borders.

Capak underscored that an agreement had been reached at the EU level on acceptable fast antigen tests, however most member states, including Croatia, still require a PCR test in order to cross the border.

He said that tourist boards would be issued with information on how to obtain a licence to conduct tests and on issuing credible certificates of testing, the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry underscored that it expects tourist boards to submit their proposals for testing stations for tourists in individual counties in coordination with regional public health institutes.

A list of testing stations will then be advertised on the www.safestayincroatia.hr web site.

Both Capak and Brnjac underlined the importance of inoculation in the tourism sector because workers in the sector generate a lot of contacts and are the first contact point with tourists.

"Inoculation in the tourism sector is an important message of additional safety and responsibility in that sector, which contributes to better positioning Croatia as a safe destination," underscored Brnjac.

"We hope that we will reach an agreement soon on how to facilitate travel for tourists," said Brnjac, referring to tourists from countries outside the EU.

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

ZAGREB, Dec 28, 2020 - Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) director Krunoslav Capak said on Monday 443 medical staff and 1,711 retirement home residents were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Sunday, the first day of vaccination in Croatia.

Speaking at a press conference of the national COVID-19 response team, Capak said the vaccine would not be available to family doctors before the second half of January, when the Moderna vaccine was expected and the vaccination of older people would begin.

"The Moderna vaccine can stay in a regular fridge for 30 days, whereas the Pfizer vaccine can stay only five days. We believe that will make the work of family doctors considerably easier," he said, adding that the HZJZ wanted to spare them during the current first stage of immunisation with the Pfizer vaccine.

Capak said the HZJZ and the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices had received no reports of any side effects following yesterday's vaccination.

Alemka Markovic, director of Zagreb's Dr Fran Mihaljevic Hospital for Infectious Diseases, said two staff at the hospital had "mild rashes without any consequences" and that it was being established if anything other than the vaccine could have caused them.

Capak said another 7,800 doses would arrive this week, in eight boxes with 975 doses each, and that another 18 boxes would arrive next week.

Speaking of the vaccination campaign, he said the national COVID-19 response team had no intention of convincing anyone, rather they would inform people of the benefits via timely, precise, accurate and expert information.

Capak said the campaign began with media statements by vaccination experts and several conferences, and that a media campaign was being prepared. "We assume that a stronger media campaign will begin early in January."

He said the national response team's members would not be vaccinated on camera because the first doses were symbolic and being utilised for those most in need. "As soon as we get larger quantities, we will organise vaccination," he said, adding that vaccination points or mobile teams would be organised if necessary.

Speaking of the coronavirus infection incidence, Capak said that in the week of December 22-28 there were 48% fewer cases than the week before. "Yesterday's 14-day incidence per 100,000 population was 710.5 for Croatia. Medjimurje County has the highest incidence, 1,112, while Dubrovnik-Neretva County has the lowest, 235."

According to the World Health Organization methodology, ranking EU27 countries from lowest to highest incidence, Croatia is 23rd as to the 14-day incidence and 18th as to the seven-day incidence.

"The mortality rate per million population places us at 19 among the EU's 27 countries with a rate of 874.8," said Capak.

December the 12th, 2020 - Here in Croatia, more than 136 thousand people have already contracted the coronavirus and had their positive result lab confirmed, but the CNIPH measures and rules that must be followed continue to apply to them because it is not known how long immunity from SARS-CoV-2 actually lasts.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, a member of the Croatian Government's Scientific Advice Council, Ozren Polasek, stated that to date, no special rules for those who have already had the virus have been developed.

''We believe that it's still necessary for those people to adhere to the CNIPH measures, especially since we now know that it is possible to become infected again within a period of six months, and possibly shorter," Polasek said for RTL.

A case of reinfection with the novel coronavirus was reported in the continental Croatian town of Bjelovar where a woman contracted coronavirus twice in just three months. She had no symptoms the first time, and probably didn’t develop any antibodies either. As for immunity, it has recently been mentioned that it lasts for three to eight months.

"The claims are different because not enough time has passed to see how long such an immune response lasts," Polasek explained.

People who have had the coronavirus and no longer have symptoms can go back to work after 10 days. If they then come into contact with a positive person, they don't have to stay at home. According to the recommendation of the CNIPH, this is valid for six months. Recommendations regarding distance, disinfection and wearing masks must continue to be adhered to.

"For now, there's no evidence to suggest that immune people can't transmit the disease and that's why people who have survived COVID-19 still need to wear a mask," said Krunoslav Capak, director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health. MP Nino Raspudic, who himself had coronavirus, believes that new measures could be introduced for those who have gotten over the virus, at least while they're in a familiar environment.

"My lungs are currently weakened, but I had to wear a mask on those weakened lungs all day in Parliament and for six hours at a time, although it has been scientifically proven that I can neither become infected or transmit the virus to others at that point," he said, referencing the CNIPH measures and a perceived lack of flexibility.

People who have already had coronavirus have a somewhat easier time getting across the border. They don't have to be retested, so they can, for example, enter and leave neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina without any worries.

"People who have suffered from COVID-19 in the last three months can cross or enter the Republic of Croatia without a PCR test, but the date of arrival must be 14 days from the diagnosis of the disease," said the head of the Service for Neighbouring Countries of the Police Directorate, Tomislav Kufner. An official document on that doesn't yet exist, but some countries have introduced an immunity passport which acts as confirmation that you have had coronavirus and that you can freely travel.

Even if you have already had coronavirus, vaccination continues to be recommended for everyone. "What we now know is that the level of antibodies after the illness is proportional to the severity of the clinical picture - the sooner you have a milder form of the clinical picture, the lower the level of those antibodies and as such - the shorter the protection," said Polasek.

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The Croatian Institute of Public Health (CNIPH) has released a document that will help doctors decide who can attend classes and work in schools during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 2nd of September, 2020, with the document entitled "Diseases and health conditions that may increase the risk of severe forms of COVID-19", the CNIPH has sought to remind people that from the very beginning of the pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about health conditions that can increase this risk of a more severe form of the disease, and relate to people with respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and malignant diseases, diabetes, immunodeficiencies, and the elderly.

The CNIPH notes that coronavirus is a new disease about which scientific knowledge is still being gathered and has sought to remind everyone of all of the protection measures which need to be undertaken, such as restricting contact with other people, wearing a mask and enhanced personal hygiene. In addition, "in the household it is necessary to stay away from a person with this [sort of] health condition, ie to avoid close contact, and to implement other preventive measures."

If the person's health condition is such that the person can only wear a mask for a short period of time, wearing one should be limited to particularly risky situations that the person can't avoid, for example in public transport, in health care facilities, etc. It is even more important that their family and others with whom they are in contact, for example, at school or at work, constantly wear a mask and consistently implement other preventive measures.

For most people with the health conditions which will be further described below, being in a working environment with normal working conditions, in school or performing other obligations doesn't really pose a greater health risk than going out to other public places such as shops, banks, restaurants, using public transport and the like, according to the CNIPH.

Within these groups of diseases and health conditions, a smaller number of persons can be distinguished who belong to a highly vulnerable (risky) group of patients, ie persons who have a state of health which has been extremely impaired. For each extremely vulnerable person, it is necessary to individually consider their state of health and functioning, taking into account the current epidemiological situation. Such persons should consult their primary care physician about their health status in light of the current epidemiological situation with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Extremely vulnerable groups of patients are adults and children, regardless of age, with the following health conditions:

• Persons who have had organ transplants, this relates primarily to solid organs

• People with certain malignancies (people with malignancies who are receiving chemotherapy, people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy, people with haematological malignancies and bone marrow malignancies such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, at any stage of treatment, people with receiving immunotherapy or other long-term therapy for malignant diseases, including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T therapy), persons receiving immune system-related therapy for malignancies such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors, bone transplant recipients which have had the procedures done less than six months ago and are still on immunosuppressive therapy)

• People with severe respiratory diseases, including cystic phobrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (the severity of asthma and COPD is defined by a doctor, and these are primarily people whose disease requires specialist health care and permanent therapy under specialist supervision)

• People with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of all infections (eg severe combined immunodeficiency, children at increased risk of infections due to other severe forms of primary immunodeficiency, homozygous sickle cell anemia)

• People receiving high doses of immunosuppressive drugs (eg children and adults at increased risk of infections due to immunodeficiency caused by treatment of an underlying disease (eg iatrogenic immunosuppression after transplantation or severe vasculitis)

• People who need respiratory assistance including oxygen, suction, non-invasive ventilation or prophylactic antibiotics due to recurrent respiratory infections

• Pregnant women with severe heart disease (congenital or acquired)

• People with heart diseases of varying types.

• Other persons classified as highly vulnerable based on the clinical assessment of a chosen physician or clinician. It should be noted that this document will adapt to new scientific knowledge as we continue to find out more about this virus.

For more on coronavirus in Croatia, as well as notices from the CNIPH, follow our dedicated section.

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August 26, 2020 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health (CNIPH) published a report for the previous week, which was marked by record numbers of new coronavirus cases in Croatia.

Vecernji List reports that from August 17 to August 24, all counties recorded new cases of COVID-19. The highest number of new cases is recorded in Split-Dalmatia County, followed by the City of Zagreb and the Sibenik-Knin and Zadar Counties, which have the same number of new cases in the last week.

HZJZ

Split-Dalmatia County also has the highest 7-day rate, followed by Sibenik-Knin and Brod-Posavina counties. According to the CNIPH, the percentage of those infected at weddings is not as high as it is thought. In the past seven days, it has been confirmed that only 1.68 percent of cases were infected at weddings.

Most tourists were infected in Makarska from July 7 to August 24, and out of the 70 infected, 63 are Austrian citizens. The largest number of patients cites summer vacations and going out to nightclubs as a source of hotspots, and recently, a significant share of sick players from smaller football clubs stands out.

"Last week, a large number of patients from NK Rudes were recorded in the City of Zagreb, and a few from NK Lokomotiva. In Split-Dalmatia County, a football player whose club played a match with NK Marsonia from Slavnoski Brod fell ill. This week, another case from a Split-Dalmatia County club was recorded, and a large number of players from NK Marsonia also fell ill. Two NK Vrbovec players also fell ill, and 5 more players have symptoms," they say.

HZJZ

Also, imported cases from Kosovo, BiH and European Union countries were recorded.

"County epidemiologists in the field have been under great pressure in the last week due to the increased influx of new patients whose epidemiological treatment, in addition to interviews (taking epidemiological history), includes contact processing - i.e., contacting all persons listed by individual patients who are not self-isolated. Despite that, according to information from the field, especially in the most affected Split-Dalmatia County, they still do not have a delay in the treatment of sick people and their contacts," concluded the CNIPH report.

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July the 15th, 2020 - The measure which states we must wear masks when using public transport, when shopping and when indoors in public spaces is now fully in force. However, there are exceptions to this rule. The Croatian Institute of Public Health has detailed precisely who doesn't need to wear a mask.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, there are individuals who don't need to follow the rule of wearing a mask, and they are people who have specific health conditions and developmental characteristics that could be worsened by the covering of the mouth and nose with material.

The conditions cited are most often those in which wearing a mask can lead to difficulty breathing or danger of suffocation. In these conditions, it is necessary to set aside groups of people who don't need to wear a mask - they emphasised from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) regarding the "Decision on the necessary measure of the mandatory use of face masks or medical masks during the declaration of the COVID-19 epidemic."

They listed which people are not required to wear a face mask and situations where this is tolerated, such as cases where a person has trouble breathing due to a chronic illness or they're a person who suffers from a condition which makes them lose consciousness.

Those who don't need to wear a mask are listed below:

- Children up to two years of age

- Preschool-age children over the age of two if the child, despite the efforts of the parents/guardians to get them to wear a mask, resists wearing the mask or cannot refrain from touching the mask and their own face (some children are irritated by the mask and feel an intolerable need to adjust the mask and touch their faces, as such, the chances of getting the virus through the mouth, nose or eyes increase).

- Children over the age of two up to the lower grades of primary school need to wear a mask only when partaking in activities that are limited in time, and when they are under the constant supervision of their parents/guardians (for example when using public transport, in health care facilities or when going shopping, although parents are advised to take their children to the store only if absolutely necessary).

- People with certain forms of disability such as: certain mental health impairments including autism spectrum disorders if those individuals resist or can't tolerate a face mask, people with intellectual disabilities, and people with severe physical/motor impairments due to possible breathing difficulties or an inability to remove the mask without the help of another person.

- Persons who need to transmit information to a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, this includes interpreters for deafblind people and other accompanying persons, in a situation where the message cannot be written down or transmitted to such a person using sign language, but only by reading from the face and lips.

- People who are hard of hearing or deaf when in situations where a mask prevents effective communication and adequate understanding of the transmitted message.

- Persons with breathing difficulties due to them suffering from chronic diseases (these situations shouldn't be confused with a respiratory infections that are accompanied by a fever or other signs and symptoms that may be characteristic of the new coronavirus).

- Persons with altered consciousness or loss of consciousness, and those who suffer from conditions which cause either of these things to occur.

- All those who, for other reasons, cannot remove their own mask without the physical help of another person.

For more on the Croatian Institute of Public Health and coronavirus in Croatia, follow our dedicated section.