Care Capacity Staggers Under Lombardy Virus

The first report outside China has emerged concerning the impact of a Covid-19 outbreak on critical care facilities. We append a link to a summary of the full report and we encourage you to read it. The document outlines how an exponential infection rate dawned on an unsuspecting community. However, we prefer to focus on the key issue of how critical care capacity staggers under these circumstances and what governments should do.

ICU Facilities Overflow When Care Capacity Staggers

Intensive care facilities in Lombardy, Italy are typically 80% to 90% full during the Italian winter. By March 1, 2020 clinicians were advising authorities these would soon be inadequate. This would be the case even if all non-coronavirus patients went home.

The ICU admission rate per a hundred cases was more than twice as high as happened in China. This may be because Chinese standards were stricter, or the predisposing factors were different in Italy. As ICU facilities overflowed it became evident the Lombardy response was inadequate.

Detailed Video But Finish Reading First

Lessons to Take Home from the Crisis

Firm action is essential at the first sign of an outbreak, not when intensive care capacity staggers and wards overflow. Laboratory capacity for testing for Covid virus infections should have increased immediately. The fact it did not stressed the system further. Moreover, there was little thought of a large, dedicated Covid-19 facility in the beginning.

The Italian authorities quarantined Lombardy region on March 8, 2020 followed by the entire country two days later. By then many people had taken refuge in other countries, some carrying the virus with them. The authorities have since introduced additional measures. These include strict self isolation, and more funds for personnel and ICU equipment.

They have also reinforced the ICU network so all critical care patients can find a bed somewhere. The report concludes other governments should put collaborative emergency networks in place, before their intensive care capacity staggers as happened in Lombardy.