Lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic in Italy – A commentary

Antonio Minni; Massimo Ralli; Francesca Candelori; Fabrizio Cialente; Lucia Ercoli; Claudio Parlapiano; Antonio Greco; Marco de Vincentiis

doi:10.17305/bjbms.2020.4847

Authors

Antonio Minni Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Massimo Ralli Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Francesca Candelori Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Fabrizio Cialente Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Lucia Ercoli Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
Claudio Parlapiano Department of Clinical Sciences and Internal Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy
Antonio Greco Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Marco de Vincentiis Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bjbms.2020.4847

Keywords:

COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, early diagnosis, prevention, pandemic

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Italy has been one of the most affected countries in Europe and the second for number of deaths. In this commentary, we discuss some lessons that we learned as health-care providers working in a large public hospital during the pandemic, with a special focus on the importance of infection containment and early diagnosis, the role of swab, serological tests, home isolation and individual protection devices, and the available therapies and management indications to better face a possible new outbreak in the near future. These comments should stimulate a more diffused, efficient, and efficacious management of COVID-19 patients, also reducing the number of admissions to hospital emergency departments and the related spread of the infection.