Italian Woman Says They Made A Mistake By Treating Coronavirus Like The Flu, Warns Others

If the spread of Coronavirus wasn't causing enough problems already, it recently became clear that on top of everything, it's also causing a big divide between people. While it's healthy to find the middle ground between carelessness and panic, it's been increasingly more difficult with conflicting reports coming from media and government officials. And as the virus continues to spread to new regions, countries that were just recently hit by the COVID-19 definitely have some things to learn from places where the virus is rapidly spreading.

As of March 10, 2020, the statistics gathered by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) show that there are currently 115,855 cases confirmed worldwide with the majority reported in China (80,756). However, the second-largest number belongs to Italy, where the number of cases recently skyrocketed and reached 9,172. As the sickness caused by the Coronavirus has already claimed over 4000 lives, one Italian woman took to Twitter to express her concerns.

Bianca started a thread pleading with people to take the virus spread more seriously than her country did. "Everybody kept saying, 'It's just flu' and now our intensive care units are collapsing," she wrote in a tweet. Bianca went on to share some gruesome statistics as well as a shot from an ICU in Italy. Her tweets not only brought attention to how seriously one should take the issue, but also the aspects that were previously unforeseen.

Bored Panda reached out to Bianca for additional comment and she kindly replied with some information. "I’m a 23yo girl living in a small [town] near Milan," she introduced herself. "When the outbreak started here, people weren't taking it seriously," Bianca explained, "They kept saying it’s just the flu."

More info: Twitter

"Before entire Italy shut down, I saw people posting pics on vacation going from Lombardy to Ligury beaches like nothing was happening," the woman continued. “The results of [them downplaying the issue is] that our ICU in Lombardy is collapsing and right now, we have almost no room but they're creating new ICUs using every authorized facility so that we won't run out of beds” she explained. Bianca also added that people who need intensive care are being sent to other regions. "Our doctors are exhausted, I read posts published from healthcare workers and they are begging us to stay at home," the toll on the doctors and nurses seems to be reaching max levels. "This is heartbreaking," Bianca told us.

"Right now I can say that awareness is spreading around Italians, we’re taking it seriously, we’re staying at home as much as we can and we are protecting the elders," Bianca reported on the improving social awareness. The woman also revealed that in her area, Rosate, the mayor published a list of shops, bars, and pharmacies that offer home delivery to the elderly and the weak. "My advice is to prevent the spread of this disease," she continued. "It’s not as deadly as the hemorrhagic flu, but that’s not just the flu either," Bianca expressed her frustration with people underestimating the Coronavirus.

Bianca went on to explain that people's belief that the virus only affects elderly people is a false promise. "Our primary of infectious disease, Massimo Galli, told us that in the ICU they also have people between 20-30 years old," she said. "Deaths occurred mainly in elders and sick people, but that’s no relief 'cause the “elders and sick” are our parents, our grandparents, and our friends," the woman added, "We can’t treat them as expendable human beings."

"So please guys, don’t panic, don’t attack supermarkets, that’s wrong," Bianca pleaded. The woman also weighed in on what health experts call "flattening the curve," a phenomenon where the spread of the virus is slowed down in order for the number of patients needing treatment to be within the healthcare system capacity:

"You just need to be aware that Covid patients can recover even if their conditions are bad. But, in order to do so, they might need to be hospitalized and sometimes they need intubation. If 100 people per week need intubation, maybe we can cope but if 100 people per day need intubation, we can’t. And that’s no fear-mongering, these are facts. Maybe we can’t stop Covid, but we can slow it down. And that’s enough!"

"I never thought my tweet would have gone this far, but people [are] writing me from all over the world and sending so much love, it’s good to see that there’s still humanity [left]," Bianca expressed her relief at the positive responses. She also mentioned that some people have questioned her existence, even going as far as saying that she's a bot spreading panic. "I don’t care, at least they are making me laugh in these tense times," the woman said.

"Please be cautious, you all," Bianca warned everyone once again. "Italy and China don't shut down entire cities for the simple flu," she concluded.