March 16: exhausted health workers

photos from a system (Italy) that is struggling to keep up: exhaustion and sore face from wearing a protective mask...

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Feb 28: The start

One person was found positive for the COVID-19 in a town south of Milan. Extensive testing was done immediately of all contacts, and the whole town was put in quarantine. Milan to the north remained "open" but all public events and schools were closed. Italy has universal health care. They had thousands of tests kits available, and affected people were put in the best specialized hospitals. Medical authorities have been regularly speaking to the media. Politics has been out o f the picture. Let's compare with what's happening here... We have a first case in Solano county that appears to be "community" spread. We appear to have no large scale testing (any testing?). The Bay Area seems oblivious to the potential seriousness of the problem. How many "insured" folks will go to less capable hospitals because of the restrictions of their insurance companies. How many uninsured folks will not seek care or testing (when finally available) beca...
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Italy was viewed for a while as an example NOT to follow... quite the contrary! Yes, I’m biased, as that’s my native country, but the facts of Italy’s behavior, both at the level of government and people, during this pandemic cannot be denied. This article explains very well what has been happening as Italy is starting its own (deliberately slow) path to opening up. As Italians move toward a less stringent regimen to minimize their exposure to the coronavirus, they can take pride in an unusual collective effort. nytimes.com Opinion | How Italy Coped, and Will Keep Coping As Italians move toward a less stringent regimen to minimize their… As Italians move toward a less stringent regimen to minimize their exposure to the coronavirus, they can take pride in an unusual collective effort.
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