The new type of pandemic virus that spread through the world is the COVID-19. Italy was the country that in statistics numbered the highest rate of infected cases from the disease. The novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first confirmed to have spread to Italy on 31 January 2020, when two Chinese tourists in Rome tested positive for the virus.
Now, let’s look at some possibilites that may be the reason why this happened:
First, we take a look on the age of the Italian population: – according to The New York Times, Italy has the oldest population in Europe, with about 23% of residents 65 or older. This means that the older the population is it is more possible that those people already have some other developed illness or chronic disease, in this term would mean – weak immune system. This can lead to a conclusion on one angle.
Second, what happen was the overload in medical facilities: – Aubree Gordon, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, commented that mortality rate is not “age standardized,” which is a way to adjust for the underlying demographics of a population, she said. From this perspective, we can see the case when an epidemic happened, the number of people in a given area who require medical care grow and it is more likely to spread an infection or virus. Additionaly, medical staff have become preocupied, lacking on masks and necessary protective material, and at the same time all hospital rooms have been fullfilling. This lead to taking an additional precusuary measures, such as postponing certain types of cases and surgeries.
People believe that the virus spread quickly because it was undetected. The outbreak in Italy has come as a surprise to many, given the fact that Italy has proven to have high standardized system for medical care, known as Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN).
At last, what is that most people speculate to be the reason for the pandemic outbreak in Italy, is not taking the situation seriously. Italians are know as people who like travel, falimy time and friendly gatherings, so this type of approach toward the situation is strongly likely to have an impact in the outbreak.