ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - So far, eight cases of the infection with the omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia, and four have been in Zagreb and another four in Split, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday.

Roughly 200 samples have been sent to the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for sequencing, and we will soon get information whether there are more and more cases of the infection with the latest variant of the virus, Beroš said.

He said that since 16 November, when the COVID certificate mandate was introduced in the public sector, 681,309 tests have been conducted for that purpose and have revealed that 9,814 asymptomatic persons have caught coronavirus. Placing them in self-isolation has prevented the further spread of the virus, Beroš explained.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that he had not been informed whether today's protest of opponents of COVID certificates and vaccines in St. Mark's Square had been organized in line with the relevant legislation.

Our position is that protests against strict rules in Croatia miss the point as Croatia has balanced and less restrictive anti-epidemic rules in comparison to other EU member-states, Božinović said.

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ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - In the last 24 hours, the COVID disease has taken 57 lives in Croatia, raising the death toll to 11,779, and there have been 4,671 new cases of the infection, Croatia's authorities reported on Wednesday.

Currently, there are 23,709 infected people throughout Croatia, and of them 2,256 are receiving hospital treatment, including 306 placed on ventilators.

Since the first registered case of the infection with the novel virus in the country on 25 February 2020, 662,397 people have been diagnosed with this infectious disease, and of them, 626,909 have recovered, including 2,301 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Under the vaccine rollout plan, 55.01% of the total population have tog vaccinated to date, and 60.58% of adults have fully been vaccinated.

8 omicron cases so far

So far, eight cases of the infection with the omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Croatia, and four have been in Zagreb and another four in Split, Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday.

Roughly 200 samples have been sent to the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for sequencing, and we will soon get information whether there are more and more cases of the infection with the latest variant of the virus, Beroš said.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

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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ZAGREB, 6 Dec 2021 - The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, said on Monday that two people in the country had been found to be infected with the new Covid variant, Omicron.

The two patients have not developed any serious symptoms of the infection and all their contacts are under surveillance, Capak told a news conference.

The patients had been at a business meeting, and there are possibilities that other participants could have caught it, too, said epidemiologist Bernard Kaić.

According to Capak, Croatia has taken all the necessary measures to slow down the spread of the new variant.

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November the 29th, 2021 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health (CNIPH) has published a press release on the new variant of the novel coronavirus, Omicron, deemed to be a variant of concern (VOC).

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Omicron, the new coronavirus variant is currently being considered potentially more dangerous because it has almost twice as many mutations as the Delta variant. Variant B.1.1.529, named Omicron, was declared a cause for concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday, placing it in the same category as the Delta variant, they said.

''Variant B 1.1.529 has more than 30 mutations on its spike protein alone. If these mutations are seen as a new possibility of increased infectivity and transmissibility, which gives the virus a greater ability to bypass immunity, both from vaccination and acquired, then it is a very complex variant with mutations that haven't been previously recorded, so it is difficult to predict the implications for the course of the pandemic and immunity. Nevertheless, experts believe that vaccines will continue to offer a high level of protection against the severe clinical picture that leads to hospitalisations and death,'' they stated.

They pointed out that the new variant is most often found in younger people (ages 18 to 34), and it is in these age groups that the lowest vaccination rate in the Republic of South Africa was recorded.

''British experts emphasise the need for vaccination based on reports received from South Africa, according to which a larger number of hospitalisations are recorded in groups of unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated persons. In addition, vaccine manufacturers have expressed the view that they will be able to quickly adapt their vaccines to the Omicron variant,'' they wrote.

The CNIPH also stated that the European Commission (EC) is proposing a procedure for a coordinated approach in limiting the spread of new variants within and across the EU.

''From an EU perspective, the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 remain a cause for concern and should be closely monitored. In order to obtain timely and accurate information on the origin and circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern or interest, it is essential that EU member states maintain or achieve a sufficiently high range of sequencing. Such a coordinated approach should include circumstances in which member states impose restrictions on movement for certain areas where the epidemiological situation is expected to deteriorate rapidly, and especially for areas that are currently seriously affected by the epidemic,'' the CNIPH said.

''In conclusion, this is a real reminder that the pandemic is far from over yet. If there’s one thing everyone can do now is this: choose your vaccine, whether it’s your first dose or second,'' the CNIPH appealed in conclusion.

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