Epidemic peaking in Croatia, vaccination stage three begins

Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) director Krunoslav Capak said on Friday Croatia was at the peak of the third wave of the coronavirus epidemic and that he expected the number of new cases to start falling, but not the number of hospitalisations yet.

"We are currently at the peak of the epidemic, plateauing," he said at a press conference of the national COVID-19 crisis management team, adding that "the infection is most often transmitted at family gatherings where people don't comply with epidemiological measures."

Croatia has third highest incidence in EU

Capak said Croatia had the third highest 14-day incidence in the EU after Sweden and Cyprus, while ranking 19th in terms of mortality. Compared to last Friday, the number of new cases is down 0.3%, he added.

Capak said 17% of the entire population and 21% of the adult population had been vaccinated against COVID. Given the arrival of new doses, he expects 55% of the population to be vaccinated by the end of June and said that vaccination would continue over the summer.

He said journalists and police were now being vaccinated and that next week would be the turn of the military and other emergency services.

Capak said an HZJZ serology study showed that 25% of the population had been in contact with coronavirus and that this meant they were immune. "If one adds those vaccinated, during the summer we will have 70-80% of immune people."

He went on to say that 50% of those above 65 had been vaccinated and that 2,667 reports of suspected side effects had been received - 1,297 to Pfizer's vaccine, 1,166 to AstraZeneca's and 202 to Moderna's.

Health Minister Vili Beroš said hospitals were under high pressure due to the rise in new cases in the past two and a half weeks but that they were managing to respond to every need.

Serious work on health reform for six months already

He said serious work on a health reform that would make the system financially more stable had been under way for six months. "The reform is being agreed by the departments and the public will be informed of all elements in time."

"As minister, I accepted all the challenges of the health reform. I have the support of the prime minister and all government members, and from the opposition I expect constructive proposals that will be evaluated. I expect them to support the proposed reform measures in parliament."

Beroš said he wanted to invest all his energy in the reform and that now was the time to draw the line because it had been put off for decades.

The head of the crisis management team, Interior Minister Davor Božinović, called on citizens to avoid all mass gatherings and celebrations as they were the biggest risk for the spread of infection.

"During the time of first communion and confirmation, private gatherings after mass are a special problem," he said, adding that the local crisis management teams and dioceses which postponed them had made "good decisions."

Text: Hina

News