The director of the Croatian Institute for Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, warned on Friday that the number of new coronavirus cases in Croatia is increasing and their share in those tested is 8.4%, "so it is only a matter of time" when a third dose of a vaccination will begin, state agency Hina reported.

“We don’t know the precise date, however we will start with a third dose of a vaccine soon. People who are threatened the most will be the first to receive the third dose, Capak told a press conference.

Immunity increases markedly after the third dose

Croatia has 31% more people infected this week than last, with the lowest incidence rate recorded in Istria and the highest in Split-Dalmatia County.

Eight European countries have already introduced the third dose of the vaccine while 13, including Croatia, are still mulling over the idea.

Capak spoke about the Israeli experience with the third dose, after two million people older than 60 had been vaccinated. An Israeli study shows that the risk of infection was 11 times less likely and that their immunity increased significantly, and there weren’t any side-effects like those recorded after the first and second dose, said Capak.

An increasing number of hospitalised children

The director of the Dr. Fran Mihaljevic Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Alemka Markotic, said that Pfizer had already submitted documents related to the effectiveness and harmlessness of the third dose to the European Medicines Agency.

Health Minister Vili Beros sent a message to anti-vaxxers saying that their decision not to be vaccinated was legitimate, but that spreading misinformation was taking us a step backwards.

He warned that in this fourth wave of the epidemic 108 children have been hospitalised so far, which is a certain increase.