The COVID-19 infection lessons from the Italian experience

• Published in: Journal of public health policy Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 238 - 244
• Main Authors: Romagnani, Paola, Gnone, Guido, Guzzi, Francesco, Negrini, Simone, Guastalla, Andrea, Annunziato, Francesco, Romagnani, Sergio, De Palma, Raffaele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer Science + Business Media 01.09.2020; Palgrave Macmillan UK; Palgrave Macmillan
• Subjects: Asymptomatic; Betacoronavirus; Communicable Disease Control - organization & administration; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - therapy; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19: Public Health response; Decision makers; Decision making; Diagnostic systems; Epidemics; Equality and Human Rights; Humans; Infections; Italy - epidemiology; Masks; Medical personnel; Medical Sociology; Pandemics; Personnel; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - therapy; Public Health; Public services; SARS-CoV-2; Social Justice; Social Policy; Social Sciences; Sociology; Towns; Ultrasonic testing; VIEWPOINT; Viral diseases; Italy; COVID-19; Pandemic; Virus spread
• ISSN: 0197-5897; 1745-655X; 1745-655X
• DOI: 10.1057/s41271-020-00229-y

The first case of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, was reported in China on 17 November 2019. By the end of March 2020, the rapid global spread of infection affected over 1 million people. Italy is one of the countries most impacted, with over 100,000 positive cases identified. The first detected cases were reported on 21 February 2020 in two Italian towns: Vo’ Euganeo in the Province of Padua, Veneto region, and Codogno, in the Province of Lodi, Lombardy. In the next weeks the epidemic spread quickly across the country but mainly in the north of Italy. The two regions: Veneto and Lombardy, implemented different strategies to control the viral spread. In Veneto, health personnel tested both symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects, while in Lombardy only symptomatic cases were investigated. We analyzed the evolution of the epidemic in these regions and showed that testing both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases is a more effective strategy to mitigate the epidemic impact. We strongly recommend that decision-makers: