Only 38.6% of people over 65 have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of the second vaccination phase, which has been completed in most of Croatia, although the vaccine has been offered to everyone, according to Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) data, Jutarnji List daily reported on Monday.

It is estimated that 853,784 people in Croatia are over 65 and 329,367 have received the first shot, while only 6.6% have received both.

Only a few days before the completion of the second vaccination phase, during which people over 65 and chronic patients were to have been vaccinated, for some reason as much as 61.5% of those over 65 have not been vaccinated, the newspaper said.

The daily asked the HZJZ why that was so but received no answer. Off the record, experts say the problem lies in the fact that the candidates for mass vaccination refused the AstraZeneca vaccine, which Croatia had in the largest quantity in the past period.