- [Dena] The COVID-19 outbreak in Italy
has put 60 million people on lock down.
And some are worried the US is on a similar trajectory.
- The first case of Coronavirus in the US
not linked to any foreign travel.
- This picture has become a symbol of the toll
that fighting Coronavirus has taken on Italy.
A two minute rest for a nurse
who has worked 10 hours non stop.
In less than three weeks Coronavirus overwhelmed
the healthcare system across Northern Italy.
So how did the country go from confidence to quarantine?
Hey guys, I'm Dena and I'm gonna break down
why the Coronavirus outbreak is so severe in Italy
and what the US can learn from how they're handling
the pandemic over there.
(upbeat music)
So by Mid-March Europe had become the epicenter
of the Coronavirus pandemic
and on March 19th,
Italy's death toll surpassed China's
with over 3,400 deaths and more than 41,000 confirmed cases.
But how did it all get so bad so quickly?
Let's back up.
On January 29th,
Italy detected and isolated to tourists
from China as it's first Coronavirus cases.
Contacts were traced
and Italy cut transportation links with China.
On January 31,
Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said,
"The system of prevention put into place
by Italy is the most rigorous in Europe."
But on February 21,
a 38 year old man checked himself
into a local hospital in the region of Lombardi.
He had tested positive for COVID-19.
It turns out the outbreak
had already been circulating locally
and unnoticed for weeks in Northern Italy.
With no lock downs or social distancing enforced,
Italians were still on the streets
and there were mixed messages from politicians.
For authorities it was a balance
between keeping the public safe
and preventing panic.
By March 11th,
Italy had the second highest number
of COVID-19 infections outside China.
Confirmed cases were increasing daily
and the country was unable to slow the spread of the virus
and reduce the number of people seeking treatment.
Scientists searching for Patient Zero now believe COVID-19
could have reached Italy from Germany rather than China.
But why have Coronavirus fatalities been so high in Italy?
Well, for starters,
Italians were late in taking
the threat of the virus seriously.
The governor of Lombardi initially said
the novel Coronavirus was,
"Just a little more than normal flu."
- Italy did some things wrong,
much like other countries are doing things wrong
in the sense that it was very late.
Elected officials and just regular citizens
really downplayed the threat for a long time.
They just weren't taking it as seriously.
- [Dena] Italy also has one of the oldest populations
in the world.
And we know that those over the age of 65
are among the most at risk from Coronavirus.
In fact, Coronavirus has killed 5% of known cases in Italy.
Morgues are at capacity.
Makeshift emergency units have had to be assembled
and masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant are running out.
Because of the delayed response the healthcare system
is completely overwhelmed
and no longer has the resources to treat every patient.
This means doctors are being forced to make brutal
and heartbreaking decisions on who to treat
and who is beyond saving.
- [Dena] In a desperate effort
to stop the virus from spreading
the Italian government restricted all movement
in Lombardy and surrounding provinces,
including the cities of Milan and Venice.
Police forces were patrolling the roads
and giving fines to anyone who entered
or exited the quarantine region.
Two weeks after Northern Italy had been declared a red zone
Prime Minister Conte said the peak
of the outbreak is yet to come.
- By mid March, all of Italy was on lockdown.
Even though the situation in Italy is dire,
the country is in some ways better equipped
to handle the crisis than the US.
In fact, compared to the US response,
Italy has a number of key advantages.
First, Italy has a national healthcare system.
This means that all primary and inpatient care is free
at the point of use funded mainly through taxes.
It's actually ranked second best in the world.
Italy's National Health Service
covers all citizens and legal foreign residents.
- Even though the health crisis is similar
the system in place is just,
it's been there for decades
and people know they can rely on it,
people know they can get tested,
they don't have to worry about whether they'll get a test.
They don't have to worry about whether
they'll have to pay for it.
If they do end up being hospitalized
they don't have to worry about paying for it
or getting a bill later or getting bankrupt.
- [Dena] In contrast, access to health care
in the US isn't guaranteed
and Americans have to have some form of insurance
to get basic care.
But many in the US are uninsured
like 28 million non elderly Americans,
many others are underinsured,
meaning they don't have enough insurance.
Now, congress did pass a bill
that allows COVID-19 testing costs
to be covered for everyone
including those without insurance,
but should you test positive any necessary treatment
will not be covered.
Then there's the question of unpaid leave.
The US has a weak social safety net
meaning many Americans simply can't afford
to stay away from work.
Second, Italy is far more prepared
when it comes to testing for the novel Coronavirus.
Italy began swab tests early on in the outbreak
to monitor the virus.
The WHO provided test guidelines
that the US turned down for a CDC version.
And by the way,
that CDC test kit initially failed
to accurately record the virus.
As of March 17th,
Italy had carried out
just over 2,000 tests per million people,
but getting accurate numbers for how many Americans
have been tested is surprisingly difficult,
convoluted and not transparent.
Since conducting their first test in January,
the CDC reported the US had carried out 125 tests
per million people as of March 17th.
Finally, the Italian government quickly introduced
an economic support package of nearly $28 billion.
The money was used to assist the national health service
and to implement measures
like boosting unemployment benefits.
The US has injected over $110 billion
to help boost the economy during the crisis,
but is still deciding how exactly to assist Americans
facing unemployment and health care shortfalls.
So the protections that the US is enacting
as an emergency response to a pandemic
are standard in the Italian system.
- When you have so few protections for workers
on a regular basis it is really difficult
to build a system out of thin air
and ramp that up overnight.
And so that is I think the fundamental difference
not just between Italy and the US
but really between any country with a solid welfare system
any European country,
Italy just happened to be the one that was hit first.
- US COVID-19 case predictions appear
to be rapidly catching up with Italy's
and by some accounts have overtaken them.
So with Italy being a glimpse into the future,
what can the us learn from it
to take steps to avert the crisis?
'I'm Staying Home' is the new motto in Italy.
The government's emergency measures ban all
but essential travel
and public gatherings like grocery shopping.
So people are finding innovative ways
to stay entertained while social distancing.
(distant chattering)
Italians are taking Coronavirus seriously
with 89% of those polled supporting
the government's crackdown.
In fact, 78% say they would back even tougher measures.
And one measure that's common in countries
that have managed to control the spread of the virus
like China, South Korea and Iceland
is rigorous and expansive testing.
- But to suppress and control the epidemics
countries must isolate, test, treat and trace.
- [Dena] The best way to handle a pandemic
other than acting quickly
is to have a solid system in place.
This means having things like a healthcare system
that grants universal access without economic barriers
to people seeking care
and a social safety net that allows people
to take the steps needed to slow the spread
without losing their livelihood.
- You could potentially massively increase
the number of testing and I think they should
but the overall picture of the system we have in place
that unfortunately is not really
something you overhaul overnight
And in the middle of a health crisis
I think it's something that we should consider
and keep talking about as we go through this and afterwards.
- [Dena] And having a sense
of solidarity also helps.
- There is a lot of solidarity between Italians right now
on a personal level neighbor to neighbor,
you've all seen the videos of Italians singing
from their terraces and giving themselves appointments
to meet at 6pm every day to sing the same song
and things like that,
the things that matter have reduced in a way.
Money has been the priority in the US for so long
that it is so hard to think about putting that on hold
and actually care about just people first.
(bright upbeat music)