Sisak-Moslavina County residents currently staying in collective accommodation after their homes were destroyed or severely damaged in earthquakes this week, as well as emergency services staff there will be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Saturday, Health Minister Vili Beros said on Thursday.

Responding to questions from the press outside the Dubrava Hospital in Zagreb, Beros said that over 1,000 doses of vaccine would be sent to the earthquake-hit area on Saturday, adding that epidemiologists would examine the situation to see if more doses were needed.

Beros said that there were sufficient supplies of protective equipment despite the increased demand. He added that a record number of over 750 blood donations had been collected at Zagreb’s Petrova Hospital alone on Wednesday. Last time such a large number was recorded in a single day was on 5 August 1995 when the Croatian army launched Operation Storm to regain control of occupied territories, he noted.

Beros said that the present situation also posed a great challenge from the point of view of public health given that most of the health institutions in Sisak-Moslavina County were severely damaged in the earthquakes. He said that 90 percent of the buildings of the Sisak General Hospital were damaged and that this would require adjusting the healthcare system.

Beros said that rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 had detected positive cases among people staying in collective accommodation and that this was also a challenge. He said that talks were under way with the county authorities to convert a hotel into a secondary COVID-19 treatment centre.