Forty-three percent of Croatia's adult population has been vaccinated, so the plan to vaccinate 50 percent by the end of this month will not be realised, Health Minister Vili Beros said on Wednesday, again appealing on citizens to be vaccinated as protection from COVID-19 and to facilitate the tourist season.

Speaking to the press, he said adult vaccination in Croatia’s tourism competitors was much higher, 62 percent in Italy, 57 percent in Spain, and 49 percent in Greece.

The European vaccination average is 55 percent but we can and have to do more, Beros said.

He warned of new coronavirus variants such as lambda in South America, which he said was more contagious and could result in a fourth wave of the epidemic. Vaccines also protect against the new variants, he added.

Beros said vaccination would continue until 75-80 percent of the population was vaccinated and that making it mandatory was not being considered.

He described today’s epidemiological situation in Croatia as stable and good, with 2.16 percent of tests coming back positive. He said, however, that it was not yet time to forecast the end of the epidemic.

Beros also said that 79.9 percent of medical workers had received one vaccine dose to date and 64.8 percent two.

Asked about an app for organising public events and scanning QR codes, he said the app that would check COVID-19 vaccination, recovery or test certificates was in the final stage and that “it won’t be an obstacle to the decision on digital EU certificates entering into force on 1 July as planned.

Asked about the possibility of Croatia lifting the obligation to wear masks, as has been announced in Italy, Beros said that required an adequate vaccination level, such as Italy’s. Not before that, he added.