How Italy Has Handled The Covid-19
Italy is shut down; all bars, museums, schools, cinemas, gyms and other non-essential venues are closed and even marriages, funerals, and baptisms are banned.
Italy is one of the worst affected countries during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 10th, 60 million people in Italy went into lockdown, imposing tight rules on movement within the country. This comes on the heels of a spike in corona virus cases that have been overwhelming the Italian medical system. Italy’s handling of the corona virus is fast becoming an example for the world as COVID-19 spreads across the world and is declared a worldwide pandemic.
Donald Trump announced a flight ban to the US from the European continent, Canadian, US and Other Countries worldwide have shutdown schools, have cancelled large gatherings, and advise people to stay home if possible. Looking at how Italy has managed the outbreak has help other countries handle their own COVID-19 situations and have set the stage to decide whether or not to go into a preemptive lockdown to get ahead of the virus.
Italy is shut down; all bars, museums, schools, cinemas, gyms and other non-essential venues are closed and even marriages, funerals, and baptisms are banned. The epidemic started in Lombardia , Northern Italy and the town quickly went into quarantine with police car and Carabinieri roadblocks but it was already too late by that point as the virus has since spread around the country with over 12,000 reported cases and more than 800 fatalities at that point intime,
The Spread Of The Deadly COVID-19 In Italy
The World Health Organization reported on March 12th 125,048 cases worldwide, 12,462 of which were confirmed in Italy. Italy has surpassed Iran and South Korea in COVID-19 infections and to date has surpassed China, where the outbreak began.
On January 30th, 2 tourists from China were reported as having the virus in Northern Italy and over the next few weeks, a few more patients were confirmed and eventually Lombardia, Veneto, Piedmonte, Emilia-Romagna, and Marche were put under quarantine.
Some measures were taken to limit its transmission in the region but they did nothing outside of the province of Lodi, underestimating the rapid fire infectious nature of COVID-19. On March 8th, the corona virus had jumped the quarantine zone and Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte announced more lockdown areas but just 2 days later, he extended the lockdown to the entire country. The lockdown is set to last until April 17th, everything is shut down except grocery stores, pharmacies, and essential government services. No one is allowed to move around the country unless there is an emergency. While some of Italy’s politicians have criticized the lockdown measures, complaining that things are unclear, and others are concerned about the economic ramifications; the Director of the World Health Organization says that the lockdown is necessary, and Italy has set an example for the rest of the world by imposing strict restrictions despite the cost. To ease the financial burden that the shut down will inevitably cause citizens, Italy has suspended mortgage payments.
You Can Say “The World Is Watching”
China has reported that they now have the COVID-19 pandemic under control with only 24 new infections reported earlier last week. Beijing has sent a delegation of medical experts, masks, and ventilators to Spain and Italy to help them contain their outbreaks.
The world is watching to see how Italy’s stringent shutdown performs in curbing the spread of the novel corona virus. As the number of reported cases spreads around the globe, countries have to make tough decisions on how to control outbreaks on their soil.
Medical School Gradutes in Italy skip Final Exams, they are immediately released to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic
These medical students in Italy will have their final exams scrapped in a government bid to ease the pressure on a health service struggling under the strain of dealing with the coronavirus.
In Europe’s worst-hit country from the pandemic, university minister Gaetano Manfredi said this year’s graduates could get a nine-month head start in working in the health sector, with their mandatory exams before qualifying, being waived, Reuters reported.
“This means immediately releasing into the National Health System the energy of about 10,000 doctors, which is fundamental to dealing with the shortage that our country is suffering,” he said in a statement.
Because they lack the training to be at the frontline of the coronavirus emergency, the students will not be dispensing treatment to those seriously ill. However, they will be called upon to help with triage, carry out tests, evaluate any suspected cases and offer support in general practitioners’ clinics, the newspaper Il Messaggero reported.
This will free up more experienced medical professionals to work at the hospitals which are filling up fast.
The northern Lombardy region has been the country’s hardest hit, with more than 1,100 people needing intensive care, 300 more than the number of intensive care beds available, according to Giacomo Grasselli, head of the intensive care unit at Milan’s Policlinico hospital.
TO Date – ITALY FLATTENS THE CURVE AS DAILY RISE IN CORONA VIRUS CASES FALLS TO LOWEST RATE
Italy is Europe’s epicenter of the corona virus outbreak, with more than 97,600 cases of COVID-19, including 10,779 deaths, according to the latest figures released Sunday by the Italian ministry.
However, the outbreak in Italy has shown signs of slowing, with the lowest daily rise in infections since officials began tracking cases after the country’s first reported death on February 21st confirmed by local authorities yesterday.
The virus, which was first detected in the city of Wuhan in China’s Hubei province, has spread to more than 741,000 people, 82,200 of whom are in China.
While Italy continues to be battered with new cases, including 756 new deaths reported on March 28th , the daily rise in infections has reportedly slowed to 10 percent since February 21, Italian officials confirmed.
The country also saw its lowest daily rise in new cases since March 23, 2020, reporting a total number of 97,689 confirmed cases on March 29, 2020, up from 92,472 previously, a 5,217 increase.
Italian officials reported yesterday, March 29th 2020 that 13,030 patients had fully recovered from COVID-19, while 3,906 being treated in intensive care.
It’s worth noting that most Italian media cite “change in active cases” as their number of new cases in their reporting. The “change in active cases” is actually devised by the following formula: The number of newly infected cases minus the number of new deaths minus the number of new recoveries, the Protezione Civile (Italian civil protection agency) clarified at a press conference earlier this month. So the actual number of new cases in the country may be higher than the number reported as “newly infected” by Italian media.
A virologist from the University of Milan, Fabrizio Pregliasco, told Italy’s Il Corriere della Sera newspaper: “We are witnessing a slowdown of the outbreak.”
“It is not plateau yet, but it is a good sign,” he added.
The current lockdown in place across the country was due to officially end on April 6th but it is likely to be extended. A final decision is expected to be made in the coming days.
“The measures expiring on April 6 the will inevitably be extended,”, Francesco Boccia, Reginal Minister of Affairs recited yesterday in Italy’s Sky TG24 news.
“I think that, at the moment, talking about re-opening is inappropriate and irresponsible,” he added.
Presently, while friends, family and countless nurse and doctors throughout the country remain positive with their very creative and familial beliefs; tension, heart break and exhausted medical professionals begin to grow tired.
While their spirits and positivity remain in full force with their epic hashtags #andratuttobene #iorestoacasa. The need is great to this county that has been devastated by this virus with on demand life – decision making is made in these crowded over worked medical system.
World Health Organization advice for avoiding spread of corona virus disease (COVID-19)
Hygiene advice
- Clean hands frequently with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand rub.
- Wash hands after coughing or sneezing; when caring for the sick; before, during and after food preparation; before eating; after using the toilet; when hands are visibly dirty; and after handling animals or waste.
- Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your hands, nose and mouth. Do not spit in public.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or bent elbow when coughing or sneezing. Discard the tissue immediately and clean your hands.
Medical advice
- Avoid close contact with others if you have any symptoms.
- Stay at home if you feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache and runny nose, to avoid potential spread of the disease to medical facilities and other people.
- If you develop serious symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) seek medical care early and contact local health authorities in advance.
- Note any recent contact with others and travel details to provide to authorities who can trace and prevent spread of the disease.
- Stay up to date on COVID-19 developments issued by health authorities and follow their guidance.
Mask and glove usage
- Healthy individuals only need to wear a mask if taking care of a
sick person.
Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing. - Masks are effective when used in combination with frequent hand cleaning.
- Do not touch the mask while wearing it. Clean hands if you touch the mask.
- Learn how to properly put on, remove and dispose of masks. Clean hands after disposing of the mask.
- Do not reuse single-use masks.
- Regularly washing bare hands is more effective against catching COVID-19 than wearing rubber gloves.
- The COVID-19 virus can still be picked up on rubber gloves and transmitted by touching your face.