3 ms·
I don't think it has anything to do with corruption and terrible healthcare (mistakes were made, but as a resident there, I think the system works pretty well n
by lbeltrame 6y ago
I don't think it has anything to do with corruption and terrible healthcare (mistakes were made, but as a resident there, I think the system works pretty well nevertheless, or at least used to be pre-crisis).
I think it has more to do with the route of entry of the virus in the territory, which hit hospitals first (not closing down Alzano Lombardo was a grave mistake), then retirement homes (an error shared with Lazio and elsewhere).
This meant that the newly-infected population was largely skewed towards the most vulnerable, and coupled with imperfect knowledge about treatment, the net result was a lot of deaths.
- giovan-ni 6y agoAs another resident (Milano), I think corruption is endemic in the regional health system. This is, of course, not to deny Lombardy healthcare compares well relative to that of most other Italian and European regions. Still, it was clearly overwhelmed and mismanaged. In my opinion, this and the timing of the first response account for the many deaths. And those in charge of both need to be held accountable. That said, I do think the numbers of the Policlinico study might well be representative, at least regarding Milano. It is just anecdotal, but I know a lot of people there that got sick, but where unable to get tested, or waited weeks before receiving any treatment.
- lbeltrame 6y agoUnfortunately this year the flu, for those who got it, was quite strong as far as I can tell, so it's a real confounding factor.
- giovan-ni 6y agoSymptoms are quite different, though. And they are evaluated by the ‘medico di base’ (general practitioner) before requesting a viral test. So I am not clear on what could be confounding.