ZAGREB, 20 Jan 2022 - In Croatia, 11,343 persons have tested positive in PCR tests and an additional 6,146 have been positive in rapid antigen tests in the last 24 hours, the national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

Thus, 17,489 cases set a new record after there were 16,017 new COVID-19 cases in the country on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 59,193 active cases, including 1,792 hospitalized COVID patients, of whom 195 are placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of infection with the novel virus on 25 February 2020, there have been 848,150 cases of infection so far. Of them, 775,657 patients have recovered, including 8,315 in the last 24 hours.

The death toll has climbed by another 43 fatalities in the last 24 hours to 13,300.

To date, 64.43% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

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January the 18th, 2022 - Epidemiologist Bernard Kaic has hinted at possible epidemiological measure alterations in Croatia, stating that the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus behaves like a ''totally different virus''.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Omicron seems to be able to get around the immune systems of those who have had previous covid infections, but also in those who have been vaccinated against it. For example, among those who were registered as newly infected on Sunday, about 30 percent were vaccinated with two doses, and five percent with three (the third being their booster dose).

That said, those who have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus and those who have earned their immunity naturally (by contracting and recovering from the disease) usually only have milder symptoms when they catch Omicron.

Bernard Kaic from the Croatian National Institute of Public Health has emphasised that the Omicron variant seems to successfully avoid previously acquired immunity because it behaves almost like an entirely new virus of its own.

He also pointed out that his colleagues from the field recently sent him the example of a young man who fell ill just one month after first contracting the virus and becoming unwell.

"We'll probably need to change the recommendation to get vaccinated earlier after having the first illness, let's say three months after a person has their first illness," Bernard Kaic told Dnevnik.hr.

"Those who have contracted and recovered from coronavirus should be vaccinated after being ill, regardless of whether they've been vaccinated before or not," said epidemiologist Bernard Kaic, who added that when it comes to Omicron, it appears much harder to remain uninfected.

Alemka Markotic, the director of Zagreb's ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases explained that the existing coronavirus vaccines don't offer protection against Omicron infection in a high percentage, but they do up to around 30 percent. They do however offer a far higher level of protection against serious clinical pictures requiring hospitalisation, and against death.

Alemka Markotic stated that two doses of the vaccine protect up to 65 and more percent, and the third booster offers protection over 80 to 90 percent - from more severe forms of illness and death.

''The unvaccinated are the reservoirs of new variants of the novel coronavirus, which dictate the development of the epidemic,'' explained Professor Vlahovicek.

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ZAGREB, 13 Jan 2022 - The rate at which the Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading is alarming and it has started to cause serious problems in the health system due to a growing number of doctors and other medical staff who cannot go to work due to infection or compulsory self-isolation.

According to data from the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), 800 nurses and 353 doctors who work in medical institutions are positive or in self-isolation, reports Jutarnji List.

The KBC Split hospital operates without 36 of its doctors and as many as 82 nurses, the KBC Zagreb hospital has 29 doctors and 68 nurses who are either positive or in self-isolation, while the KBC Rijeka hospital operates without 17 of its doctors and 37 nurses.

In the KBC Zagreb hospital, 186 workers did not show up for work on Tuesday while on Wednesday 244 did not show up. In the city's KB Dubrava hospital, 65 medical staff were in isolation and self-isolation on Tuesday.

"We are still not in trouble, but if the number of employees who are in isolation and self-isolation continues to grow, that could become a problem. We are concerned. Most of our positive employees are vaccinated so they have very mild or no symptoms but regardless of that, they cannot show up at work," said KB Dubrava director Ivica Lukšić.

The head of Zagreb's Sisters of Charity Hospital, Davor Vagić, is of the same view, and notes that the number of employees who cannot come to work because of infection or self-isolation keeps growing, which, at some point, could become a problem.

KBC Zagreb hospital assistant director Milivoj Novak says the situation is still not alarming but an increase of as much as 76% in the number of positive employees in a single day does not look good.

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ZAGREB, 13 Jan 2022 - Croatia has logged 9,157 new COVID cases and 23 related deaths in the past 24 hours, with the latest infections putting the number of active cases at 55,500, the national COVID-19 response team said on Thursday.

Among those infected are 1,755 people who are hospitalized, including 216 on ventilators.

Currently, 22,292 persons are self-isolating.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 794,190 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 13,006 have died, while 725,684 people have recovered, including 6,685 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,941,654 people have been tested to date, including 19,786 in the last 24 hours.

A total of 4,901,094 vaccine doses have been administered, with 56.06% of the total population or 66.76% of adults having been vaccinated.

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ZAGREB, 10 Jan 2022 - Croatia has registered 1,578 new coronavirus cases and 40 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Monday.

The number of active cases in the country currently stands at 41,613. Among them are 1,893 infected persons receiving hospital treatment, including 244 who are on ventilators, and 18,624 persons are self-isolating.

A total of 3,882,163 people have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to date, including 4,344 in the last 24 hours.

Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in the country, 767,183 people have been registered as having contracted the new virus, of whom 12,918 have died and 712,652 have recovered, including 4,558 in the last 24 hours.

As of 9 January, 4,836,465 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 55.91 percent of the total population, or 66.5 percent of the adult population, having been vaccinated. A total of 2,269,098 people have received at least one dose and 2,163,972 of them have received two doses, which is 63.66 percent of the adult population.

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January the 1st, 2022 - Are any new Croatian covid measures on the table now that the festive period of Christmas and NYE are out of the way? As Omicron spreads throughout Europe and with many countries tightening things up, Croatia appears to have no concrete plans as yet.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the worsening epidemiological situation in Croatia has given rise to more questions, especially given the fact that the vaccination rate is still not satisfactory and every second test in Split-Dalmatia County has been positive. While Croatia was busy extending the opening hours of its catering and hospitality establishments during the festive period, Omicron measures have been being tightened across Europe.

The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, said on HTV's "Otvoreno/Open" show that the new strain of coronavirus, Omicron, has been being detected by sequencing, stressing that the number of people infected with Omicron will be continuously reported as the situation unfolds.

''These are still small numbers compared to what's happening in the surrounding countries,'' said Capak.

He pointed out that Croatia has so far been very successful in stopping and slowing down the arrival of new strains of the novel coronavirus, because we were the first European country to introduce a ban on foreigners coming into the country from South Africa to Croatia, and all Croatian citizens and permanent residents coming from those areas were to be quarantined.

''We had cooperation with the border police at Croatian airports. They informed us of the names and addresses of people coming here from those parts of the world. Epidemiologists immediately contacted them and quarantined them for fourteen days, and so we stopped the spread of that strain of the virus. Our figures are very favourable,'' he added.

The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health said that Omicron is still not dominant in Croatia, pointing out that there are more people infected with Omicron in Dalmatian counties than there are on the continent.

The director of the Public Health Teaching Institute of Split-Dalmatia County, Zeljka Karin, emphasised that a record number of new patients in that county had been being set, and that we have to take into account that we have a huge number of tests being taken, so that share is slightly higher than fifty percent. But it was to be expected, because the Omicron variant appeared, it was the festive period in which there are more gatherings, and that all led to an increase in the number of new positive cases,'' Karin reasonably said.

The director of the Public Health Institute of Split-Dalmatia County said that the number of newly infected people in Split-Dalmatia County has been quite high for several weeks now.

''It's known that in this county there is a low vaccination rate compared to other counties across Croatia. These numbers are certainly the consequences of that,'' she said. Karin also pointed out that patients in the past two or three days don't present with a very severe clinical picture, as was the case before.

''That said, we can't estimate what that clinical picture will be like in the future. We have an increase in hospitalisations, and we still don’t know if it’s because of Omicron or if it’s because of the Delta strain. So for now, we can't say anything about what the clinical pictures will become, but the increase in hospitalisations is large, but so is the increase in the number of people on respirators,'' Karin warned.

The head of the Istrian Civil Protection Directorate, Dino Kozlevac, pointed out that there were "consistently high numbers" of positive cases across Istria.

''The numbers have been growing since September. What's happening? We have liberal measures, that should be said clearly and loudly. The whole of Croatia has liberal measures in relation to Europe,'' he said, adding that people should make sure to properly adhere more to all current Croatian covid measures, including maintaining social distancing and wearing masks.

He added that the current situation will be assessed in the coming days, and there is a possibility that new measures for Istria will be discussed in agreement with the National Civil Protection Directorate.

The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, pointed out that the situation is being reviewed on a daily basis and Croatian covid measures are being taken accordingly, and this will be the case in the coming days, although there is nothing concrete yet to speak of. He added that the situation in other counties will be monitored on a daily basis and if the situation worsens, which can be expected due to the arrival of the Omicron strain, in that case some Croatian covid measures may well be tightened.

"Nothing is on the table at the moment," he repeated.

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December the 29th, 2021 - Croatian Omicron rules have been put in place and clarified as the new variant of the novel coronavirus sweeps Europe. Although it appears that the Omicron variant causes a far less severe clinical picture and there are only a few confirmed cases in Croatia, measures must still remain in place for now as the situation unfolds.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Institute of Public Health has published new Croatian Omicron rules which regard quarantine and self-isolation.

The revised rules of the CNIPH for the treatment of patients, those who have been in close contact with a lab confirmed positive case and the termination of self-isolation and quarantine bring several important changes to Croatian Omicron rules.

People who have been vaccinated, have contracted and then recovered from the disease in the past three months, or have been vaccinated after recovering should not be quarantined/put into self-isolation, the new Croatian Omicron rules state.

If the source of infection is confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant or there is an epidemiological suspicion that it is the Omicron variant in question, all of that individual's contacts (except the exceptions below) are subject to a fourteen-day quarantine period and should be tested with a PCR test at the beginning of their quarantine and on the last day of quarantine.

If the suspected Omicron variant is excluded by sequencing, the fourteen-day quarantine period can be terminated and their contacts will be further treated as they would be in the case of their exposure to domesticated coronavirus variants.

The following people don't need to go into self-isolation/quarantine:

Immunocompetent individuals who have received their primary vaccination (one dose of the Janssen vaccine or two doses of a vaccine (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna etc) received in two doses) and subsequently vaccinated with a booster dose.

People who have contracted and recovered from the novel coronavirus and received their primary vaccination after recovery (one dose of Janssen or two doses of vaccine given in two doses)

People who have had coronavirus within the last 90 days before their close contact with a possible or confirmed Omicron case, regardless of their vaccination status.

People who are exempted from quarantine should intensify any measures to prevent droplet infections within fourteen days of contact with increased hand washing etc, and it is recommended that they be tested by rapid antigen test as soon as possible after their close contact and every third day for two weeks after their exposure. A positive rapid antigen test result should then be confirmed by a PCR test.

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December the 19th, 2021 - Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic has spoken out about plans regarding the unfolding epidemiological situation which is being heavily influenced across Europe by the new Omicron variant of concern (VOC), touching on NYE celebrations, masses at Christmas and so on.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, at the ceremony marking the final completion of the demining of Zadar County, a certificate of complete exclusion from the mine suspected area of ​​the county was formally handed over, writes Dnevnik.hr.

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic, Zadar County Prefect Bozidar Longin and Director of the Civil Protection Directorate Damir Trut, who held a presentation entitled: "Solving the mine problem of Zadar County."

"Strength, will, skill and courage," Longin said, adding that eight deminers had tragically died during the demining process.

“We'll remember all those who worked on demining, on a huge task and a job that was done successfully. "Today, it was a pleasure to submit a certificate on the mine-cleared area,'' Davor Bozinovic said. "This is the moment when we remember all the victims," ​​said Bozinovic, adding that the last person killed was in 2016, and a child also died in 2014.

"We hope to clean everything up by 2026," the minister said, concluding that seven to eight counties remain with mine issues which need to be resolved. "There are a few mines left in Split-Dalmatia, Sibenik-Knin, mostly in forest and mountainous areas, as well as where battles were fought," he said, recalling a situation where police rescued migrants from mine danger not so long ago.

Davor Bozinovic handed over the symbolic "last mine" to the mayor of Pakostane, Milivoje Kurtov, because the last demining work was carried out in that area.

Turning to coronavirus and anti-epidemic measures... 

As for the New Year, Davor Bozinovic said that at this moment in time they are primarily focused on monitoring the unfolding situation with the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"There's been exponential growth, which is attributed to the new Omicron variant. The Delta variant also spread much more rapidly than the previous strain, and Omicron is now spreading much more quickly than Delta did. We have a mix of these two variants of the virus and we have to take the appropriate precations as a result of it,'' Davor Bozinovic stated, citing the issues other European countries such as the United Kingdom are currently facing.

He pointed out that in Dalmatia there is a growth of newly infected across all four counties. "We're asking people to please stay outdoors as much as possible. Enclosed spaces are a big danger. We've had several cases across Europe where Omicron has easily infected people indoors,'' the minister warned.

“South Africa has a much younger population and it’s summer there. We know that then the virus spreads less. We're now entering the winter period, more and more people will be spending a lot of time indoors and it's extremely important that everyone takes care of themselves and doesn't underestimate the situation at hand,'' he warned.

He said that new anti-epidemic measures have now been adopted and given the situation across Europe, and at the minute they cannot make concessions. "If the numbers don't keep on increasing and if the trend of a slight decline continues - then we can talk. All I can say now is please be irresponsible because nobody knows what will happen in the next few days,'' he said, pointing out that no one, not even experts, can say for sure what will happen.

"The fact is that we have a certain number of cases and judging by everything we've learned so far, it's more realistic to expect that there are more cases than less," Davor Bozinovic said about the new Omicron variant. "We need to wait and see if these big European numbers lead to more hospitalisations," the minister said.

He said that the best suggestion is for the New Year to be celebrated outdoors in as much as is possible and that those who are religious watch the mass when it is broadcast on television.

"It's safer for everyone," Davor Bozinovic concluded.

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ZAGREB, 17 Dec 2021 - It would be safer for everyone to attend outdoor New Year celebrations and for the faithful to follow Mass on TV, the head of the national COVID-19 response team, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, said on Friday, warning that the new, Omicron variant was much more infectious than the Delta variant.

"The Delta variant spreads much faster than the previous variants while Omicron spreads much faster than Delta. We have a mix of those two variants and we must bear that in mind," said Božinović.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to the coastal city of Zadar, he said that the number of new infections was growing in all four Dalmatian counties, calling on citizens to spend as much time as possible outdoors.

"We are entering the winter, people will tend to spend more time indoors and it is tremendously important that everyone takes care of themselves and not underestimate the situation," he said.

No relaxation of restrictions considering situation in Europe

Božinović noted that the latest epidemiological rules were introduced because of the situation in Europe and that there could be no relaxation of the rules.

"If the figures do not grow and if their mild decline is maintained, we will talk. It would be irresponsible of me to say anything else now because nobody knows what will happen in the next few days. It is a fact that we have a certain number of cases of infection with the Omicron variant and it is realistic to expect more rather than fewer cases. We should wait and see if the large figures in Europe result in more hospitalisations," he said.

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ZAGREB, 16 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 11,713 tests conducted for coronavirus in Croatia, 3,765 (32%) have turned out to be positive, and 46 more COVID patients have died, raising the death toll to 11,825, the country's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday.

Currently, there are 24,082 active cases of the infection in Croatia, with 2,253 of them in hospital, including 286 patients placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the novel virus in Croatia on 25 February 2020, 666,162 people have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and of them, 630,255 have recovered so far, including 3,346 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

During the vaccine rollout plan, 2,235,161 persons have been given at least a jab, and 60.85% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

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