Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday he hoped that in the weeks and months ahead, as well as with the COVID-19 vaccine arriving tomorrow, Croatia would manage to overcome the problems of 2020, adding that he felt that a large majority of citizens would be vaccinated.

“This is a time when, despite the coronavirus pandemic, we try to spend time with our dearest ones. In thought, we are with those Croatian families who have lost their dearest ones because of the global plague with which we have been faced throughout 2020,” he told press after Christmas mass at the Zagreb Cathedral, wishing a merry Christmas.

Croatia has intended the first symbolic batch of the vaccine for those who need it the most – older people, medical staff and staff in welfare institutions, Plenkovic said.

“We have decided that the first vaccine batch won’t be intended for raising public awareness by symbolically vaccinating officials. This is a message that we must utilise the vaccine there where it will prevent disease,” he said, adding that officials would be vaccinated later on.

Although a certain number of people are sceptical about the vaccine and say they don’t want to be vaccinated, Plenkovic said he believed that most citizens would be vaccinated in the foreseeable future.

He reiterated that vaccination would be voluntary. “Now it’s up to all of us, in which I first and foremost expect support from the scientific community, to explain to our citizens the benefit of the vaccine. Most of us were vaccinated as children and we are immune to the plagues which cost previous generations dearly. From that comfortable position, where we are not used to this kind of disease at all, I think we have to approach this situation very rationally.”

Plenkovic said Croatia ordered enough doses, 5.9 million, for almost three million Croats, adding that this would suffice for all those who wanted to be vaccinated.

Asked if COVID measures were complied with during today’s mass, which included choir singing, the prime minister said he thought that everything was in line with the recommendations and that his presence at mass was symbolic.

“Being in the cathedral today, this year, is a symbolic message. The cathedral was damaged in the (March) earthquake, so it’s a message of the desire that we renovate it, as well as the whole city, and a message that believers came to mass across Croatia in line with epidemiological recommendations.”