Six people have died of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours in Croatia, which is the highest single-day increase in deaths in the country since the outbreak began, bringing the total death toll to 31 on Tuesday.

Since Monday, 54 new people have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total caseload to 1,704. 

All the patients who died were elderly people: the youngest victim was a 60-year-old man, and the oldest an 85-year-old woman. All had serious underlying health conditions, Health Minister Vili Beros, said. 

Thirty-four patients are on ventilators.

“We have 298 recoveries, which is 15 more than yesterday, and 117 patients who have recovered at home, which puts the total number of recoveries at 415,” Beros said.

The average age of patients in Croatia is a little under 50, and there are slightly more female patients than male – 51.3 percent of confirmed cases in the country are women.