In the past 24 hours, 176 coronavirus cases have been registered in Croatia, while the first five days of this week saw a 35 percent rise in new cases week on week, it was said on Friday at a press conference of the national Covid-19 crisis management team.

The 14-day incidence is 39.8 per 100,000 population. There are 128 hospitalised Covid patients, four more than yesterday, including 17 on ventilators, three more than yesterday.

To date, 2,980,716 vaccines have been administered. Health Minister, Vili Beros, said 1,610,989 persons had received one dose, while 1,411,630 had been fully vaccinated, having received both doses or just the one of Johnson & Johnson.

To date, 41.92 percent of adults have been fully vaccinated and 47.7 percent have received at least one dose.

Beros reiterated that failure to comply with restrictions was “the road into the red” and that it would make tourists leave Croatia as well as cause economic problems, once again calling on citizens to get vaccinated.

Public Health Institute director Krunoslav Capak said Croatia ranked tenth according to the 14-day incidence. Asked if a third vaccine dose would be administered in Croatia, he said “very likely,” adding that Turkey and Hungary were giving the third dose to persons immunized with the Chinese vaccine.

Capak said scientists would say in the period ahead whether a third dose would be required.

“There are no indications for now that a third dose will be necessary,” said Alemka Markotic, head of Zagreb’s infectious diseases hospital.

Delta variant accounts for 70% of infections in EU

“About 70 percent of all infections in Europe are being caused by the Delta variant. Mostly infected is the young population, who travel, are active and visit mass gatherings. This has been defined as the biggest risk this summer,” she said, urging older people to get vaccinated.

Asked if restrictions in Croatia could be lifted in the autumn, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said Croatia was watching what was happening in Europe and the rest of the world but that, unlike the UK, it had not yet vaccinated a majority of the oldest and most vulnerable population.

Success of British experiment would be good news

He said the success of the British experiment would certainly be good news not just for Croatia but the whole world. However, he added, the British have a very high vaccination rate among those most at risk of serious illness, with 87 percent having received the first dose.

We are far from the British, he said, adding that the epidemic, until it was stopped globally, could not be stopped locally either.

According to official sources, Croatia has ensured more doses for its citizens than are currently available in all of Africa.