COVID cases in Croatia hit record high

Croatia recorded its highest coronavirus infection rate in a single day Thursday, as officials in the country with some of Europe's lowest inoculation rates urged the public to get vaccinated.

A total of 6,310 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, official figures showed.

The surge in infections in Croatia comes as the virus has hammered large swathes of Europe, with the World Health Organization warning that the continent could see another half a million deaths by early next year.

Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic took aim at the country's unvaccinated majority, pinning the blame for the jump in cases on their reluctance to get the jab.

"The unvaccinated determine the dynamics of the epidemiological situation," he said.

Just around 44 percent of the country's 4.2 million people have been fully vaccinated since the shots were introduced late last year, according to AFP data.

Within the EU, only Bulgaria and Romania have lower vaccination rates.

"This is an extremely delicate moment... We are begging the nation to get vaccinated," Health Minister Vili Beros told reporters.

"I'm begging the nation to trust scientists and professionals."

To boost vaccination rates, the government has begun targeting those who refuse to comply with protocols introduced last month.

Four unvaccinated people employed at a social welfare centre were fired on Tuesday after they refused obligatory testing for COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, the virus has claimed more than 9,300 lives in Croatia.

© 2021 AFP