The first 34 infections in the region of Lombardy, Veneto and Lazio put the country on alert
The coronavirus crisis jumped several levels in Italy this Friday.
In total, 34 people tested positive in the regions of Veneto, Lombardy and Lazio according to the latest information.
There was also the first death: a 78-year-old man, in Padua, according to the Ansa agency. These are the first known cases of transmission of this disease by contagion in the country.
A situation that led around 250 people to mandatory quarantine and isolation from ten neighboring locations, which total around 47.500 inhabitants.
Schools, public services, including transport, – and even masses – were suspended.
Furthermore, the regional government forced the closure of all public places and recommended that residents not leave their homes for the next few hours. The medical alarm was also raised because the source of the contagion was not clear nor the epidemiological link that would allow the disease to be isolated.
The first case detected was that of a 38-year-old Italian man from Castiglione d'Adda.
The patient was hospitalized on Wednesday, but, at first, an obvious connection with China was not established and doctors ruled out that the symptoms could be related to the disease.
When his situation worsened and he had to be transferred to the intensive care unit, his wife gave the alert that activated the protocol: the man had met several times with a friend who had recently returned from China.
With information Republic
