"The upward curve was expected. It is important that epidemiological services act promptly. This is not easy. I think the healthcare system is adequately responding to this epidemic," Health Minister Vili Beros told a press conference.
A total of 3,392 samples have been tested, and 10 people are on ventilators, including seven in Zagreb, two in Osijek and one in Rijeka. The average age of patients on ventilators is 61 and most of them have other chronic diseases, the minister said.
Fifty-seven percent of those infected with the COVID-19 virus are male and 43 percent are female, and their average is 49.4 years,
The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, said that 20,000 citizens are in self-isolation, over 2,000 contacts are being closely monitored and 150 people are in quarantine.
Among those infected are 15 hospital doctors, a family doctor, five residents, seven nurses and a biochemist.
Beros was angry at some healthcare professionals claiming that there was not enough medical equipment.
"I am angered by the behaviour of malicious individuals who emphasise this issue. The situation is not perfect, but it is far better than it is being maliciously portrayed. I have received information that certain doctors deliberately removed protective equipment from the shelves in order to portray the situation worse than it is," the health minister said.
"We know that in every war there is a fifth column. I want to make it clear that we are doing our utmost to get protective equipment. Right now a truck carrying 7,000 masks and a million gloves and gowns is heading from Zabok to Zagreb. A plane with 1.3 million masks, 500,000 protective gloves and 50,000 gowns is coming from China tomorrow. We are doing as much as we can considering the situation on the global markets," Beros said.
Capak said that epidemiologists were currently focused on a new coronavirus hotspot in Osijek where two persons have been hospitalised, one of whom is in intensive care.
The focus is also on Murter island where eight people have tested positive for COVID-19 and about 30 have a high temperature. Capak said that the island would be sealed off until the situation was clarified.