Croatia has been experiencing a new wave of highly infectious variants of coronavirus that have increased the share of positive cases among those tested to as much as 30 percent, with the number of new infections exceeding 1,000 on a daily basis, the public health service HZJZ said. 

“Omicron variants BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5 are currently in circulation in Croatia, they affect mostly people aged 30-69. Children are less affected, considering that schools are on summer break,” state agency Hina said, citing unnamed HZJZ officials.

The largest number of new infections has been reported in the City of Zagreb and in Split-Dalmatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties, while Virovitica-Podravina County has the most favorable situation, with only three new cases having been reported.

Over the past week, the number of hospitalizations and Covid-19-related deaths has increased as well, however, it has not prompted greater interest in vaccination, with only 300-400 people getting vaccinated on a daily basis across the country, with fewer than 50 taking their first shot every day.

“Citizens could possibly be waiting for a new vaccine containing both the Wuhan and Omicron components, which the European regulator EMA could approve at the end of August or in early September at the earliest,” Hina speculated.

As for the possible introduction of Covid-19 passes in the autumn, the unnamed HZJZ officials Hina talked to said that “for the time being their reintroduction in the autumn or winter was not being considered.”

Even though the latest wave of the pandemic has already climaxed in some European countries, “in Croatia it is believed that it will peak in August,” Hina said.

The unnamed HZJZ officials “note that despite recent public debates about the effectiveness of face masks in protection against the new virus variants, face masks and physical distancing remain the basis of prevention,” Hina said. They also “underscore the importance of vaccination in preventing the more serious forms of the disease, hospitalization and death,” according to Hina.

According to HZJZ figures, 57.7 percent of Croatia’s 3.88 million population has been fully vaccinated so far, and 23.2 percent of the population received a third, booster, shot.