Considerations from the Epicenter of the Coronavirus Emergency

Sozzi, Fabiola B.; Gupta, Rakesh; Canetta, Ciro; Blasi, Francesco

Since February 21, 2020, Lombardy region in northern Italy has experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This region, mainly a flat land with the highest density of population and industry of the country, has become the single deadliest hotspot for the coronavirus on the planet so far. More than 10,000 people have died here, with the national total across the country poised to top 18,000. The World Health Organization (WHO) first declared the Covid-19 respiratory illness unknown before the outbreak reported in Wuhan, China, last December. On January 30, 2020, the WHO denounced the Covid-19 outbreak a global health emergency. Some scientists declared the virus began circulating in Italy at least a month prior to the first case of infection recorded in February.