Italy hopes virus is easing but fears new onslaught in south

Doctors and nurses in Italy’s overwhelmed rrn hospitals have welcomed a slight stabilizing in number of coronavirus infections but fear virus is still silently spreing in south two weeks into West’s most extreme nationwide shutdown.

As de in Italy keep piling up, virologists warn that actual number of Italy’s positive cases is up to five times as high as official count of 80,539. That means infections will still climb even with Italians ordered to stay home for all but essential activity.

Italy, epicenter of Europe’s pandemic, has by far most virus deaths of any nation in world, a grim tally of 8,165. On Friday, Italy is on track to surpass China in its infection count and have most cases of any nation behind U.S.

’’It is something devastating,” said Rev. Mario Carminati, who has turned over a church in tiny Lombard town of Seriate to host coffins before y are taken by military convoy to be cremated. This week, dozens were lined up in two neat rows down central aisle, and were immediately replaced by new ones when y were taken away.

“At least relatives and family kw that someone is taking care of m, with a prayer and a benediction before y are taken away,” he said.

Despite toll, officials have also expressed cautious optimism that exponential spre of virus is starting to slow in hard-hit rth, thanks to two weeks of military-enforced stay-at-home orders. For several days this week, new infections and deaths showed signs of slowing down, and emergency rooms weren’t seeing tsunami of sick that characterized first weeks of pandemic following Italy’s first positive test Feb. 20.

“ numbers are still high, but for a few days w numbers have stopped rising, thank God,” said Dr. Luca Lorini, he of intensive care at Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo, one of hardest hit of Italy’s public hospitals.

Some 500 medical personnel at hospital are infected, and Lorini said he has found himself treating colleagues, friends, children of friends and parents of friends in his overwhelmed 88-bed ICU that serves a city of 120,000.

He marvels that he is still standing and wonders if maybe he was infected early on with slight symptoms and developed immunity. Nationwide, at least 33 doctors have died and 6,414 medical personnel have tested positive

“We kw it before we go into battle, and we accept it,” Lorini told Associated Press.

Elsewhere in Bergamo, Italian army’s Alpini mountaineering forces are building a field hospital to be staffed, in part, by some of 150 medical personnel sent by Russia, one of only a handful of countries along with China and Cuba to respond to Italy’s urgent appeal for medical equipment, protective masks and personnel.

But need is also growing in south, where hospitals are even less prepared and equipped than prosperous rth.

“It’s a matter of hours, t days,” goverr of Campania region that includes Naples wrote to central government, complaining that his urgent requests for ventilators h gone unheeded. “re is a real chance of ding a trdy of south to trdy of rth.”

Cate De Luca, mayor of Sicilian city of Messina, took extraordinary step of recording a warning to residents in his nasal, gravelly voice for drones to play as y fly over seaside city monitoring residents’ movements.

“Don’t go outside! That is an order from Mayor De Luca!” drone blasts.

Italy’s high death toll and aggressive spre of virus has led Italian epidemiologists to estimate that true number of infected could be as high as 450,000, and that under-testing is putting Italians at risk of furr contagion. Currently, Italy only tests people showing symptoms, because its labs cant process any more, and to date more than 360,000 tests have been performed.

Virologist Dr. Andrea Crisanti, director of molecular medicine at University of Pua and a consultant for Veneto regional government, points to only controlled epidemiological study done in outbreak, in tiny Veneto town of Vo’Euganeo, as evidence that Italy’s true numbers of infection are much higher — and that risk of t testing more widely is ermous.

Italy recorded its first death in Vo, and town was locked down Feb. 22 and entire population of 3,300 tested. According to study, 3% of Vo’s residents were infected, but between 50%-75% of m were asymptomatic. But because all positive cases were identified, isolated and quarantined, regardless of wher y were symptomatic, Vo has seen its new infections crumble.

“This tiny town has taught us a lot,” Crisanti told state-run RAI rio.

Crisanti said Vo study showed that even asymptomatic people transmit virus, since few new infections registered between tests were within households of asymptomatic people. only way to stop spre, he told RAI, is more testing, active surveillance of all positive cases and quarantine.

Based on Vo results, Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia is planning to vastly ramp up testing across region, aiming to reach 20,000 tests a day and hand out protective masks to each family. Alrey, Veneto has tested nearly 80,000 people, and compared to hard-hit Lombardy next door, has a comparatively low mortality rate with 287 de and 6,935 positive cases.

government on March 10 imposed a nationwide lockdown after an initial quarantine of a dozen small towns in Lombardy and Veneto failed to stop spre of virus. On Thursday, Italy idled all n-essential production and industry, most widespre manufacturing shutdown in world.

industrial lobby Confindustria has estimated it could cost 70 billion-to-100 billion euros ($77 billion-$110 billion) of national wealth a month if 70% of companies are closed.

Two weeks in, measures appear to be having ir effect on virus, slowing new infections and relieving pressure on health system. By Thursday, more than 10,000 of Italy’s 80,000 infected h been cured.

Twenty days after coming down with a fever, and after nearly a week in an air-pressurized helmet pumping oxygen into his virus-ravd lungs, Fausto Russo is w breathing on his own and hopes to go home as early as Sunday from Santa Maria Goretti hospital in Latina, near Rome.

“It’s a horrible sensation, t being able to brea,” said Russo, a 38-year-old fitness trainer. “Imagine putting your he under water.”

Lorini, doctor, kws well toll that virus takes on both patients and hospital staff. When he goes home each night, a five-minute walk from hospital, he allows himself a few minutes to listen to music and “unplug” from intensity of ICU ward.

His current favorite song is Bruce Springstein’s “Secret Garden.” He smiles as he thinks about lyrics. “You’ve gone a million miles/ How far’d you get/ To that place where/ You can’t remember/ And you can’t forget.”

“Listen to it today,” Lorini suggested. “It will give you a sense of tenderness.”