Hi Jim,
I continue to get texts and emails from doctors in Italy, all saying the same thing:
“Be prepared! This isn’t like the flu! I’ve never seen anything like this... We are overwhelmed."
Italy has the world’s second-highest number of COVID-19 infections after China. Their doctors and the public at large, are sounding a dire warning for other countries to take the pandemic seriously.
Over the weekend, the country reported 368 deaths in 24 hours ― a toll that exceeded China’s highest single-day number. Italy’s coronavirus infections have surpassed 24,000.
Dr. Marco Vergano, an anesthetist at San Giovanni Bosco hospital in Turin, told HuffPost via email that
it’s “evident” to him that “acting like a community, rather than personally feeling violated in individual freedom will be more difficult for Americans than for Europeans.”
Americans, Vergano said, “should stop believing that COVID-19 is a ‘bad flu’...”
“The epidemiological disaster is taking place. And there are no more surgeons, urologists, orthopedists, we are only doctors who suddenly become part of a single team to face this tsunami that has overwhelmed us.” The cases multiply, we arrive at the rate of 15-20 hospitalizations a day all for the same reason. The results of the swabs now come one after the other: positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the emergency room is collapsing.”
-- Dr. Daniele Macchini Bergamo, IT
I hope and pray all these warnings are just that, warnings.
The good news - Most likely you will not get sick. Most wont. And, the overwhelming majority who do, will only have flu like symptoms and fine in several days.
But those with underlying health conditions, including pulmonary, cardiovascular or blood sugar diseases will be vulnerable to potentially serious consequences.
This is especially true to brittle septuagenarians and octogenarians.
Despite warnings to avoid public spaces and crowds, many people continue gather at restaurants, bars and other community places. Apparently the message about a “pandemic” and how it spreads escapes.
Please err on the side of caution. Stay home and get healthy.
A Little Humor And Wise Advice (video):
