Croatia had a 26 percent weekly increase in the number of new coronavirus cases, and for that reason most restrictions on daily life will be extended until the end of March, the country's Covid task force said on Friday. However, outdoor sports competitions will be allowed to take place.

Most existing restrictions will remain in force for the time being.

One of the new changes is that it will be possible to increase the maximum allowed number of people at culture events through recommendations by the national health institute HZJZ, without waiting for a separate decision by the national Covid-19 task force. In addition, outdoor sports events will be allowed as well, the head of the task force, Minister of the Interior, Davor Bozinovic, said.

Restrictions on gatherings, passenger transport, working hours of shops, and border crossings, are to be extended until 31 March at least.

Croatia today reported 823 new cases out of 5,945 tests conducted over the past 24 hours.

HZJZ head Krunoslav Capak warned that the number of new infections this week was 26 percent up from last week.

“Istria County has the lowest incidence, and Dubrovnik-Neretva County the highest. As for the seven-day incidence, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is at the top of the list. However, epidemiologists say that there are no major hot spots there, but rather a lot of small hot spots due to socialising,” said Capak.

Commenting on reported side effects of the vaccines, he said most side effect reports referred to the Pfizer vaccine – 898, followed by AstraZeneca’s at 337, and Moderna’s at 81.

Although some EU countries had suspended vaccination with AstraZeneca’s vaccine, Croatia will continue using it.

Capak said that the AstraZeneca vaccine Croatia obtained was not from the same series as the one shipped to Austria and 15 other EU countries. Countries that have discontinued inoculation with that vaccine have done so until the reported side effects are investigated, he said.

He also commented on announcements that the deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Croatia would be much smaller than previously agreed.

“We were supposed to receive 19,200 doses in the third week of March and will receive 7,200 instead. In the fourth week of March, we were to receive 79,568 doses and will get only 9,800,” Capak said.