Presenting the numbers, Assistant Health Minister Silvio Bašić informed the government that over the last week, "a certain stagnation in hospital admission numbers has been noticed".
The occupancy rate of COVID beds is 61%.
Over the last three weeks, the interest of citizens in getting vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 has been waning. On the other hand, the hospital system is exposed to pressure due to a considerable number of personnel having caught the virus, Bašić said.
1 in 5 Croatians gets booster dose
To date, 5.2 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19 have been administered, and 20% of the total population, that is 806,569 residents, have been given a booster dose.
"An estimated 1.5 million people have had no immunological contact with the virus, and this creates room for its spread and the development of serious symptoms of the disease," Bašić said.
The appearance of the Omicron variant reflects the immunological weakening of the virus, however, lifting anti-epidemic restrictions could lead to serious repercussions for health, and particularly for senior citizens, he added.
Comparing the vaccination rates and mortality in Croatia to countries with similar shares of the elderly in their population, one can say that if Croatia had the vaccination rate of Italy, the number of deaths would probably have been reduced by half, or if we had the vaccination rate of Spain, the COVID-related death toll would have been lower by 30%, according to the assistant minister's explanation.
Addressing his cabinet, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that the authorities should continue with the immunisation of the population.
"I call on all to comply with epidemiological measures. Only the combination of inoculation with the implementation of COVID protocols can yield good results and reduce new infections."