The number of new Covid-19 cases in Croatia is increasing, and for the fourth day running the number of hospitalized patients has been more than 1,000, Health Minister, Vili Beros, said in a cabinet meeting on Thursday. Samples of the virus that have been genetically sequenced so far indicate that 70 percent of the cases were caused by the so-called British strain of the virus.

Beros said that so far 514,830 doses of vaccines had been delivered to Croatia, and as of Wednesday 413,465 doses had been administered. He added that 333,122 Croatians have been fully inoculated with the required two doses of the vaccine.

Due to the increased number of patients requiring hospital care, hospitals have been issued with instructions to increase their capacities for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

“The rate of new confirmed cases is continuing to grow, and compared to last week their number has increased by 28 percent. We have seen a lower average age of people diagnosed with the virus, from 49.9 to 42.7 years of age,” said Beros.

The number of hospitalized patients on ventilators is increasing too. In addition, the number of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals is once again higher than the number of  those discharged.

Considering that the Easter holiday in early April is approaching, Beros called on all Croatians to remain cautious and avoid attending any large gatherings.