The number of infections and deaths from the coronavirus in Italy could be much higher than the numbers that have been reported because the country reportedly does not have the resources that it needs to test everyone suspected of having the virus, which originated in China.
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/italys-coronavirus-death-toll-is-far-higher-than-reported-11585767179">reported</a> this week that an analysis it compiled showed that Italy was under-reporting thousands of deaths due to how fast the pandemic is spreading.
Two of the examples highlighted by The Wall Street Journal included:
<blockquote>Nowhere in Italy has been harder hit than Bergamo, a city of about 120,000 people. In March 2019, 125 people died in the city. This March, 553 people died. Of these, 201 deaths were officially attributed to the virus. This leaves 352 further deaths for the period, far higher than normal.
In the wider Bergamo province, which comprises the city and more than 240 small towns and has a total population of 1.1 million, 2,060 people died in March from the virus, according to the official count. But some 4,500 more people died in the province in March than a year earlier, according to a new joint study by the local Eco di Bergamo newspaper and research firm InTwig that took data from 91 towns in the province.</blockquote>
“There are many more dead than are officially declared,&#8221; Eugenio Fossati, deputy mayor of Coccaglio, said. &#8220;But this is not a j’accuse. People died and they were never tested because time and resources are limited.”
“We know the real number is higher, and we mourn them, knowing full well why they died,” Fossati continued. “It’s a hard truth to accept.”
For a long time Italy had been the hardest hit country in Europe, although that is slowly starting to change as an outbreak in Spain has put the two countries nearly neck-and-neck for total reported cases at more than 119,000 cases each. Italy still has some 3,500 more recorded deaths than Spain does with 14,681+ deaths to Spain&#8217;s 11,198 deaths.
While Italy&#8217;s numbers appear to be under reported it does not appear that it was done out of any kind of malicious intent unlike in China.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-families-should-be-sweeping-graves-now-but-thousands-still-havent-buried-their-dead/2020/04/03/5a6daa50-7234-11ea-ad9b-254ec99993bc_story.html">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The coronavirus pandemic ravaging the globe officially claimed 2,563 lives in Wuhan, where it began in a market that sold exotic animals for consumption. But evidence emerging from the city as it stirs from its two-month hibernation suggests the real death toll is exponentially higher. …
Using photos posted online, social media sleuths have estimated that Wuhan funeral homes had returned 3,500 urns a day since March 23. That would imply a death toll in Wuhan of about 42,000 — or 16 times the official number. Another widely shared calculation, based on Wuhan’s 84 furnaces running nonstop and each cremation taking an hour, put the death toll at 46,800.</blockquote>
The analysis from The Washington Post came after Bloomberg News reported earlier this week that U.S. intelligence officials told President Donald Trump that China lied about the extent of the outbreak.
“China’s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete,” Bloomberg News <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/china-concealed-extent-of-virus-outbreak-u-s-intelligence-says">reported</a>, according to three U.S. officials that it spoke to. “Two of the officials said the report concludes that China’s numbers are fake.”
Scientific advisers reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/british-scientific-advisers-claim-chinas-outbreak-could-be-15-to-40-times-worse-than-reported-report-says">told</a> British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week that China severely  downplayed the extent of the coronavirus outbreak in its country and that the real number could be “15 to 40 times” higher.

ITALY-HEALTH-VIRUS

Coronavirus Outbreak In Italy Could Be ‘Far’ Worse Than What’s Been Reported, Report Suggests

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Italy

According to government officials in Italy and Spain, their countries have reached the top of the inflection curve for the coronavirus.
Spain lost 849 people to the virus on Tuesday, 864 on Wednesday and 950 between Wednesday and Thursday.  8,102 new cases were announced between Wednesday and Thursday, a 7.9% increase, marking the lowest percentage increase in cases since lockdown measures were implemented three weeks ago. On March 13 the rate of increase was 42.7%; the rate has risen as high as 70%.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/01/italy-extends-lockdown-amid-signs-coronavirus-infection-rate-is-easing">The Guardian</a> noted that between March 15-25, the number of coronaviruses cases grew 20% per day, but after March 25 therate dropped to 12% and lower. María José Sierra of Spain’s center for health emergencies said on Thursday, “Generally speaking, we can say that yesterday’s rise in cases, which was around 8%, tells us that we’re carrying on in the stabilization phase of the pandemic.”
Spanish Health Minister Salvador Ella said the peak of the curve had been reached, while cautioning of “many difficult weeks ahead,” as <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8179745/Spain-suffers-day-record-coronavirus-deaths-950-killed-24-hours.html">The Daily Mail</a> reported. Ella continued, “I&#8217;m aware that when we speak about the number of deaths, there are no positive figures. But allow me to offer you at least a glimmer of hope. The data shows us that the numbers have stabilized and we have achieved the first objective which is to reach the peak of the curve and we are beginning the slowing down phase. However, because of the very nature of the pandemic, we still have many difficult weeks ahead of us.”
Meanwhile, in Italy, the curve seems to have reached its peak; The Guardian reported:
<blockquote>Italy’s civil protection authority announced on Wednesday that the country’s tally – already the highest in the world – had climbed by 727 deaths to 13,155, and that the number of confirmed infections, including deaths, recovered and current cases, had risen by 4,782, taking the total to 110,574. But the daily rise in the number of deaths was sharply down on Tuesday’s figure of 837, and the 2,937 new active cases represented an increase of 3.8% – more than the previous day, but confirming a declining trend.</blockquote>
Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza stated, “Experts say we are on the right track and the drastic measures we have taken are starting to yield results,” adding it would be “unforgivable to assume this was a definitive defeat” of Covid-19, which he called “a long battle.”
The first confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy came <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/italy-confirms-two-cases-of-coronavirus">at the end of January</a>; Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the two individuals were Chinese tourists who had landed in Rome. Spain’s first confirmed case on the Spanish mainland came in late February after a woman in Barcelona became ill after traveling to Italy.
<a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/3/20/21183315/coronavirus-spain-outbreak-cases-tests">Vox</a> reported, “The first positive cases of coronavirus on the Spanish mainland came on February 26, including in both Madrid and Barcelona, the country’s two most important cities. It was then that the heads of Spain’s largest public hospitals told the Health Ministry ‘more tests had to be done, and as soon as possible.’”

SPAIN-HEALTH-VIRUS-PANDEMIC

Italian, Spanish Officials: Coronavirus Has Hit Peak Of Curve

Spain

Italy&#8217;s rate of coronavirus infections has finally slowed, but the national lockdown that helped slow the spread of the disease is now threatening to take its own toll as Italy&#8217;s poorer regions begin to push back against government regulations keeping them from working.
The &#8220;depressed south&#8221; is &#8220;turning into a powderkeg,&#8221; <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-30/italy-risks-losing-grip-in-south-with-fears-of-looting-and-riots">according to Bloomberg world news</a>, and the Italian government is now prepared to take efforts to control the possible spread of violence.
&#8220;Police have been deployed on the streets of Sicily’s capital, Palermo, amid reports gangs are using social media to plot attacks on stores,&#8221; the outlet reported Tuesday. &#8220;A bankrupt ferry company halted service to the island, including vital supplies of food and medicines. As the state creaks under the strain of the coronavirus pandemic, officials worry the mafia may be preparing to step in.&#8221;
&#8220;Preventing unrest in the so-called Mezzogiorno, the underdeveloped southern region that’s long lagged behind the wealthy north, has become the government’s top priority,&#8221; Bloomberg added.
Italy is now on its fourth week of national lockdown, though some regions &#8212; like heavily affected Lombardy &#8212; have been under strict orders to shelter in place since late February, when the coronavirus first began to take hold. Italy has had more than 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and around 11,000 deaths, but the rates have been steadily declining for nearly a week. In the last three days, Italy has seen a marked decline in infections, leading some to believe the end is finally near for the coroanvirus-ravaged country.
The government does plan, however, to keep the lockdown order in place for at least two more weeks, extending the national shelter in place policy until Easter.
Like other countries facing a coronavirus lockdown, including the United States, Italy expects to see a subsequent economic slowdown but the nation is already deeply in debt and while stimulus money is forthcoming, the Italian government will likely have to ask for financial help from other European Union nations &#8212; and it still will not be enough to help the around 4 million Italians who are employed in the nation&#8217;s &#8220;underground&#8221; economy, leaving them unable to get unemployment benefits.
&#8220;Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is working to finalize a $33 billion stimulus package to bolster the country’s virus-stricken economy, a follow-up aid after his initial $27.5 billion bailout announced on March 10,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/italy-coronavirus-lowest-daily-infections-2-weeks-poorer-south-rioting-looting-mafia">according to Fox News</a>. &#8220;Over the weekend, Conte released more than $440,000 to be used by Italian mayors for food stamp programs for residents struggling to feed their families amid the lockdown.&#8221;
&#8220;Leaders within the European Union are working to finalize a financial aid package for Italy,&#8221; Fox added. &#8220;Germany, the wealthiest nation, and Italy, the most indebted nation in the bloc, reportedly have butted heads over terms of a bailout.&#8221;
There are also fears that the Mafia could gain power among disaffected Italians.
&#8220;Many people live day-to-day, doing odd jobs, like unloading trucks at markets, and they are in trouble,” one Sicilian police leader told Bloomberg. “We need to be on the alert to see whether there’s organized crime behind social unrest.”

Italy Threatening To Erupt Into Riots As Nationwide Lockdown Takes Economic Toll

According to Italy&#8217;s Civil Protection Agency, on Monday the number of deaths reported from the coronavirus COVID-19 dropped for the second straight day.
602 people were reported to have died on Monday, with 4,789 new cases of the disease reported. On Sunday 5,560 new cases had been reported, with 651 deaths; on Saturday 793 deaths were reported, as <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11239688/death-toll-italy-falls-second-day-coronavirus/">The Sun</a> noted.
The total number of fatalities in the month since the disease struck Italy is numbered at 6,077; confirmed cases of the disease have been numbered at 63,927. The Sun opined, “The drop in the rate of deaths and new infections indicates that the curve may be finally starting to flatten out, two weeks after the entire country was placed into lockdown … Since February, Italy had been following an exponential growth curve with cases and deaths roughly doubling every three days.&#8221;
Still, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza warned, &#8220;These are crucial days. Woe to whoever lets down the guard. Now more than ever, the commitment of everyone is needed.&#8221;
One of Italy’s top health officials, Silvio Brusaferro, echoed, &#8220;We need more consecutive results to confirm the trend, to be more certain that we are in a favorable situation … I don&#8217;t feel like taking one side or the other to confirm that it is there or not. We can take note of what we see today.&#8221;
The Sun said Lombardy health commissioner Giulio Gallera revealed on Monday there were 29,761 new cases, a day-to-day increase of 1,555; on Saturday a one-day jump of 3,200 was recorded. Gallera said, “Maybe this is the first positive day of this very difficult month. It is not time to relax. We need to be even more coherent.&#8221;
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobel-prize-winner-who-predicted-china-slowdown-italy-nearing-slowdown-israel-will-have-10-deaths-max-from-coronavirus">The Daily Wire</a> reported, Nobel Prize winner Michael Levitt said last week that Italy was nearing a slowdown in infection rates, saying, &#8220;Italy is already half way through the disease. There has been a decrease in growth in the number of deaths in Italy in the past 2-3 days …If Italy measured cases like Korea, there would have been 10 times more cases …South Korea is already in the slow-down phase, he said, and Italy is nearing the same point …To put things in proportion, the number of deaths of coronavirus in Italy is 10% of the number of deaths of influenza in the country between 2016-2017.”
Levitt pointed out, &#8220;Italian culture is very warm, and Italians have a very rich social life. For these reasons, it is important to keep people apart and prevent sick people from coming into contact with healthy people.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/italian-journalist-warns-others-not-to-follow-in-italys-selfish-footsteps-regarding-coronavirus">The Daily Wire</a> noted Italian journalist Mattia Ferraresi wrote <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/13/opinion/coronavirus-cautionary-tale-italy-dont-do-what-we-did/">an op-ed</a> for The Boston Globe in which he stated:
<blockquote>We of course couldn’t stop the emergence of a previously unknown and deadly virus. But we could have mitigated the situation we are now in, in which people who could have been saved are dying. I, and too many others, could have taken a simple yet morally loaded action: We could have stayed home.
What has happened in Italy shows that less-than-urgent appeals to the public by the government to slightly change habits regarding social interactions aren’t enough when the terrible outcomes they are designed to prevent are not yet apparent; when they become evident, it’s generally too late to act. I and many other Italians just didn’t see the need to change our routines for a threat we could not see.</blockquote>
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Doctor with masks in the emergency room of the Cotugno

Death Rate Drops For Second Straight Day In Italy

A Catholic priest in Italy went to his eternal rest after sacrificing his ventilator to a young person in need. The priest, age 72, had previously tested positive for COVID-19, a virus that has ravaged the northern part of Italy, overwhelming the region&#8217;s healthcare system.
According to the Italian news site <a href="https://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/cronaca/lombardia/coronavirus-rinunciaal-respiratore-per-darlo-a-un-paziente-pi-giovane-muore-sacerdote_16491325-202002a.shtml">TgCom24,</a> Don Giusseppe Berardelli renounced the ventilator that parishioners &#8220;had purchased just for him&#8221; to ostensibly save the life of a stranger whom he &#8220;didn&#8217;t even know.&#8221;
&#8220;He died after testing positive for coronavirus, but also because he chose to sacrifice himself for another person,&#8221; the site reported. &#8220;Don Giuseppe Berardelli, a 72-year-old priest from Casnigo (Bergamo), renounced the respirator he needed and that his parish community had purchased just for him. And he did it so that respirator could go to someone else. Someone younger, but ill like him. Someone who didn&#8217;t even know.&#8221;
Speaking with the Italian magazine <a href="https://www.araberara.it/don-giuseppe-berardelli-morto-sul-campo-da-prete-ha-rinunciato-al-respiratore-per-donarlo-a-uno-piu-giovane/26523/">Araberara</a>, a health worker from the San Giuseppe retirement home said that they were deeply moved by Don Giuseppe&#8217;s show of Christian faith. 
&#8220;Don Giuseppe died as a priest. And I am deeply moved by the fact that he, archpriest of Casnigo, gave up his will to assign him to someone younger than he,&#8221; the worker said. 
Giuseppe Imberti, the longtime mayor of Casnigo, described him as a man of &#8220;great kindness and helpfulness&#8221; who faithfully served his community.
“He was a simple, straightforward person, with a great kindness and helpfulness towards everyone, believers and non-believers,&#8221; said the mayor. &#8220;His greeting was &#8216;peace and good.&#8217; Always friendly and available to the public administration, associations and not only those of the parish.&#8221;
&#8220;He was loved by everyone, his former parishioners still came from Fiorano after years to find him,&#8221; the mayor continued. &#8220;But he also had an incredible ability to solve economic problems, to knock on the right doors for help &#8230; An archpriest loved by all.&#8221;
Clara Poli, the mayor of Fiorano, where Don Giuseppe previously served as pastor, described him as a &#8220;priest who listened to everyone&#8221; and who &#8220;loved his motorbike.&#8221;
“He was a priest who listened to everyone, he knew how to listen, whoever turned to him knew that he could count on his help,&#8221; said Poli. &#8220;A great person. I remember him on his old Guzzi motorbike, he loved his motorbike, and when you saw him go by he was always cheerful and full of enthusiasm, he gave peace and joy to our communities.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This priest, Suffering from the coronavirus, gave up his ventilator to give to a younger patient and has died. His name was Don Giuseppe Berardelli. He was 72 years old, from Bergamo. <a href="https://t.co/3N1ONtxFjO">pic.twitter.com/3N1ONtxFjO</a>
&mdash; John Stone (@Johnthemadmonk) <a href="https://twitter.com/Johnthemadmonk/status/1242197589027676167?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/at-least-60-italian-priests-have-died-after-contracting-coronavirus/">Catholic Herald</a>, as many 60 priests have died in Italy from the COVID-19 pandemic, most of them over 70 and with underlying health conditions.  Bishop Gianni Ambrosio of Piacenza-Bobbio told the Italian publication Avvenire that Italy must face this &#8220;darkness&#8221; with strength and resolve.
“I pray to the Holy Spirit to give us the gift of light and strength. Everyday I do the Via Crucis asking the Lord … to carry this cross with us,”  he said. &#8220;It is a tough trial. We are dismayed. We feel great suffering. It is a darkness that we must face, but with the hope that God never abandons us, that he himself has gone through all the suffering to overcome it.&#8221;

Priest

ITALY: Priest Dies From COVID-19 After Sacrificing Ventilator To Save Stranger

On Saturday, Italy <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/italy-reports-record-high-single-day-death-toll-from-coronavirus-one-day-after-previous-record-high-2020-03-21/">reported</a> 793 COVID-19 deaths, its highest single-day fatality numbers, breaking a record of 627 single-day deaths set just the day before.
According to <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">data</a> from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map, over 53,500 people in Italy he been infected with COVID-19 and more than 4,800 have died. Next to China, where the virus originated and infected approximately 81,000 people, Italy has the highest case numbers in the world as of publication.
6,072 Italian patients have recovered from the illness.
On March 8, with cases of COVID-19 spiking, a large portion of Northern Italy in which approximately a quarter of the country’s population lives <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51787238">went under lockdown</a>. The next day, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51810673">all of Italy</a> would go on lockdown.
“We all must give something up for the good of Italy. We have to do it now,” the prime minister <a href="https://time.com/5799586/italy-coronavirus-outbreak/">said</a>. “This is why I decided to adopt even more strong and ­severe measures to contain the ­advance … and protect the health of all citizens.”
Italy has become the European epicenter of the illness as cases of COVID-19 have continued their rapid upward trajectory. As a result, the Italian medical system and its health care workers have been stretched beyond capacity in many cases.
According to a report from <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/817974987/every-single-individual-must-stay-home-italy-s-coronavirus-deaths-pass-china-s">NPR</a>:
<blockquote>Italy is treating the coronavirus pandemic like a wartime emergency. Health officials are scrambling to set up more beds. In Milan, the old fairgrounds is being turned into an emergency COVID-19 hospital with 500 new beds; across the country, hospitals are setting up inflatable tents outdoors for triage.</blockquote>
On Saturday, Prime Minister Conte <a href="http://www.governo.it/it/articolo/dichiarazioni-del-presidente-conte/14361">announced</a> that the lockdown would need to continue and even be made more stringent. First, Conte spoke about the difficulty faced by Italians each day of the pandemic.
“It is the most difficult crisis that the country has been experiencing since the second post-war period,” Conte said.
<blockquote>The death of many fellow citizens is a pain that is renewed every day, these deaths for us, for the values with which we have grown, for the values that we still share, are not simple numbers, those that we cry are people, are stories of families who lose their dearest affections.</blockquote>
The prime minister then acknowledged how “severe” the lockdown is, noting that there is “no alternative.”
<blockquote>The measures taken so far, I have already said, take time before they can explain their effects, we must continue to respect all the rules with patience, with responsibility, with confidence. They are severe measures, I am aware of it, staying at home, giving up rooted habits, it is not easy at all but we have no alternative, at this moment we have to resist because only in this way will we be able to protect ourselves and protect the people we love.</blockquote>
Regarding the heightened restrictions, Conte said: “Today we have decided to take another step: the decision taken by the government is to close, in the whole national territory, any production activity that is not strictly necessary, crucial, indispensable to guarantee us essential goods and services.”
The prime minister made sure to note that grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, and other essential businesses will remain open. “It is not an easy decision, but it is a decision that allows us, prepares us to face the most acute phase of contagion,” Conte stated.

COVID-19 Italy

Italy Hits New Single-Day High In COVID-19 Deaths

As the novel coronavirus scare hits the United States full-force, comparisons to hard-hit Italy have become increasingly common. The relatively small European country has <a href="https://www.bing.com/covid?ref=share">41,045</a> confirmed cases of the virus and 3,405 deaths as of Thursday evening.
But is Italy comparable to the United States? Perhaps, but here are five things to keep in mind.
1. The Italian Healthcare System Is Weak
According to <a href="https://www.ghsindex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-Global-Health-Security-Index.pdf">Johns Hopkins</a> rankings, Italy was ranked 53rd in the world under &#8220;Sufficient &amp; Robust Health System To Treat The Sick &amp; Protect Health Workers.&#8221; The U.S. is ranked number one.
The nation&#8217;s &#8220;overall&#8221; health score is 31st in the world, whereas the U.S. is, again, the top ranked nation.
2. Italy Has The Second-Oldest Population In The World
Data from a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/opinions/south-korea-italy-coronavirus-survivability-sepkowitz/index.html">United Nations</a> report published in 2015 showed that the Italian population was the second-oldest in the world, second only to Japan.
From the collected data thus far on COVID-19, the elderly are most vulnerable to the virus.
&#8220;The average age of those who’ve died from the virus in Italy is 79.5,&#8221; <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-18/99-of-those-who-died-from-virus-had-other-illness-italy-says">Bloomberg News</a> reported Wednesday. &#8220;As of March 17, 17 people under 50 had died from the disease. All of Italy’s victims under 40 have been males with serious existing medical conditions.&#8221;
The Bloomberg report also highlighted a recent study showing that 99% of the Italian fatalities had at least one underlying health condition:
<blockquote>The new study could provide insight into why Italy’s death rate, at about 8% of total infected people, is higher than in other countries.
The Rome-based institute has examined medical records of about 18% of the country’s coronavirus fatalities, finding that just three victims, or 0.8% of the total, had no previous pathology. Almost half of the victims suffered from at least three prior illnesses and about a fourth had either one or two previous conditions.
More than 75% had high blood pressure, about 35% had diabetes and a third suffered from heart disease.</blockquote>
3. Italy Was Hardest Hit In Lombardy, Where There Are Direct Ties To China
&#8220;Almost exactly a year ago in March 2019, against warnings from the EU and the United States, Italy became <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/27/italys-joins-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative.html">the first and only G7 country</a> to sign onto OBOR (One Belt One Road),&#8221; <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/17/iran-and-italy-are-paying-a-hefty-price-for-close-ties-with-communist-china/">The Federalist</a> outlined this week. &#8220;As part of the deal, Italy opened an array of sectors to Chinese investment, from infrastructure to transportation, including letting Chinese state-owned companies hold a stake in four major Italian ports. The deal gave communist China a foothold in the heart of Europe.&#8221;
Italy started to curtail China travel at the end of January, but there are other ways of entering the county.
According to <a href="https://www.smartertravel.com/europe-passport-requirements/">Smart Travel</a>, &#8220;26 countries are a party to the <a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Schengen </a><a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Agreement</a>, which means you do not need a passport to travel between these countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.&#8221;
It wasn&#8217;t until March that neighboring nations started taking border security seriously, with Switzerland, for example, <a href="https://www.thelocal.com/20200311/border-between-italy-and-switzerland-partially-closed-what-you-need-to-know">partially closing</a> their border with Italy last week.
President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/business/china-travel-coronavirus.html">restricted</a> China entry into the U.S. on January 31.
4. Italians Are Smokers 
“Smoking is another factor clearly associated with poor survival&#8221; in coronavirus cases, CNN reported last week. &#8220;<a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/smoking-rates-by-country/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smoking rates</a> are about the same between the two countries: 24% for Italians and 27% for South Koreans.&#8221;
&#8220;But gender differences among smokers are widely different: In Italy, 28% of men versus 20% of women smoke, while in Korea, it is about 50% of men and less than 5% (!) of women. In other words, South Korea has an outbreak among youngish, non-smoking women, whereas Italy’s disease is occurring among the old and the very old, many of whom are smokers. (We do not know the male-female breakdown of Italy’s cases),&#8221; the CNN report added.
In the United States, an estimated <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/08/cdc-says-smoking-rates-fall-to-record-low-in-us.html">14%</a> of the population smokes, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
5. Italians Are Affectionate With Rich Social Lives 
Though it may seem trivial, Italians&#8217; affectionate nature could be a contributing factor to the nation&#8217;s intense outbreak.
“Italian culture is very warm, and Italians have a very rich social life,&#8221; noted American-British-Israeli biophysicist Nobel Prize winner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobel-prize-winner-who-predicted-china-slowdown-italy-nearing-slowdown-israel-will-have-10-deaths-max-from-coronavirus">Michael Levitt</a>, who accurately predicted the coronavirus (COVID-19) slowdown in China. &#8220;For these reasons, it is important to keep people apart and prevent sick people from coming into contact with healthy people.”

In this photo illustration the Italian Republic flag seen

5 Things To Know About Italy And The Coronavirus

American-British-Israeli biophysicist Nobel Prize winner Michael Levitt, who accurately predicted the coronavirus (COVID-19) slowdown in China, said Wednesday that Italy is nearing its own slowdown in infection rates and predicted Israel will have no more than ten deaths from the virus.
&#8220;Italy is already half way through the disease,&#8221; the biophysicist said during a radio interview Wednesday, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Nobel-laureate-Israel-will-have-no-more-than-ten-coronavirus-deaths-621407">The Jerusalem Post</a> reported. &#8220;There has been a decrease in growth in the number of deaths in Italy in the past 2-3 days.&#8221;
Levitt noted that coronavirus tests in South Korea &#8220;are 10 times more sensitive than in Italy.&#8221;
&#8220;If Italy measured cases like Korea, there would have been 10 times more cases,&#8221; he said, suggesting Italy&#8217;s fatality rate is likely lower than reported.
&#8220;South Korea is already in the slow-down phase, he said, and Italy is nearing the same point,&#8221; the Nobel Prize winner explained, according to The Jerusalem Post.
&#8220;To put things in proportion, the number of deaths of coronavirus in Italy is 10% of the number of deaths of influenza in the country between 2016-2017,&#8221; Levitt added.
With regard to Israel, Levitt endorsed precautions being taken against the virus, but noted said there is still &#8220;unjustified panic.&#8221;
&#8220;There is a lot of unjustified panic in Israel. I don&#8217;t believe the numbers here, everything is politics, not math,&#8221; he said, adding: &#8220;I will be surprised if number of deaths in Israel surpasses ten, and even five now with the restrictions.&#8221;
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Levitt noted that the numbers regarding coronavirus testing are not &#8220;made up,&#8221; &#8220;but because the definition of a case in Israel keeps changing and it&#8217;s hard to evaluate the numbers that way.&#8221;
Speaking to <a href="https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3800632,00.html">Calcalist</a> on Friday, Levitt suggested the virus is not as contagious as some have contended, highlighting the infection rate on the jam-packed Diamond Princess cruise ship (emphasis added):
<blockquote>The Diamond Princess was the worst case scenario, according to Levitt. “If you compare the ship to a country—we are talking 250,000 people crowded into one square kilometer, which is horribly crowded. It is four times the crowding in Hong Kong. It is as if the entire Isaeli population was crammed into 30 square kilometers.” Furthermore, he said, the ship had a central air conditioning and heating system and a communal dining room. “Those are extremely comfortable conditions for the virus and still, only 20% were infected. It is a lot, but pretty similar to the infection rate of the common flu.”</blockquote>
“It is a known fact that the flu mostly kills the elderly—around three-quarters of flu mortalities are people over 65,&#8221; Levitt told Calcalist.
The biophysicist noted of Italy&#8217;s older population as a contributing factor to their coronavirus fatalities, adding: &#8220;Italian culture is very warm, and Italians have a very rich social life. For these reasons, it is important to keep people apart and prevent sick people from coming into contact with healthy people.”
Levitt stressed that the world should resist panicking by outlining past severe flu seasons in the United States, while also stressing the need for precautions.
&#8220;[T]here are years when flu is raging, like in the U.S. in 2017, when there were three times the regular number of mortalities,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And still, we did not panic. That is my message: you need to think of corona like a severe flu. It is four to eight times as strong as a common flu, and yet, most people will remain healthy and humanity will survive.”
“Currently, I am most worried about the U.S. It must isolate as many people as possible to buy time for preparations,&#8221; Levitt said. &#8220;Otherwise, it can end up in a situation where 20,000 infected people will descend on the nearest hospital at the same time and the healthcare system will collapse.”

Michael Levitt

Nobel Prize Winner Who Predicted China Slowdown: Italy Nearing Slowdown, Israel Will Have 10 Deaths Max From Coronavirus

China

Israel

Italy has about 60 million residents. Japan has more than 125 million.
Yet the coronavirus COVID-19 has ripped through Italy, with 31,506 confirmed cases and 2,503 deaths, while Japan has just 889 cases and 29 deaths, according to the latest numbers from the <a href="https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">Johns Hopkins</a> Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
There are other cases of rapid containment of the virus as well. South Korea, with some 55 million people, somehow cut COVID-19 off before it got rolling. There are 8,413 confirmed cases in the Asian country with 84 deaths, but the spread flattened weeks ago. The death rate is just 0.9% there, compared with nearly 8% in Italy. And Hong Kong, a city of 8 million, has seen low numbers as well: 181 cases and just four deaths — even though it shares a border with China.
Currently, the number of new confirmed cases in the U.S. is 6,519 cases in the U.S., with 115 deaths. But the number of cases is doubling every four days, according to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus">ourworldindata.com</a>, which puts America on a similar arc to Italy.
So what worked in South Korea and Japan and Hong Kong, and could it work here in the U.S.?
Some experts put the stunning differences down to testing. &#8220;South Korea has been conducting around 12,000-15,000 tests every day, and has the capacity to do 20,000 daily,&#8221; <a href="https://time.com/5804899/u-s-coronavirus-needs-follow-s-korea/">Time</a> reported. &#8220;While it is hard to get accurate estimates, the CDC reports that only around 25,000 tests have been conducted in total nationwide by CDC or public health labs in the U.S. — compare this with the roughly 250,000 tests that South Korea has done to date.&#8221;
But testing only confirms cases (although those who test positive do then know to isolate, and others with whom they have come in contact also know to get tested). That can&#8217;t account for the striking differences in the spread.
Hong Kong-based journalist Rosalind Adams says the city&#8217;s swift and severe response may have nipped the spread in the bud. “Almost immediately, the number of people on the street and on public transportation dwindled, as people kept themselves at home to avoid exposure,” Adams wrote in a piece for <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosalindadams/coronavirus-covid-19-hong-kong-usa-new-york">Buzzfeed</a>. “Within days, the government directed civil servants to work from home, and private employers largely followed suit.”
And Adams said city residents took the virus seriously, self-isolating even without a government directive. “People understood their responsibility to keep themselves and others safe,” she wrote. &#8220;Sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, and face masks flew off the shelves. Other countries advised residents to wear a mask only when sick, but it became impolite not to wear one in Hong Kong.”
There are other factors at play. Italy has the second-oldest population in the word, after Japan, and while healthy younger people can quickly recover from the virus, the elderly are hit hard. Societal norms play a role, too: In Italy, the young and the old interact daily, which could be why the rates of infection and death are so high, according to a paper published on the <a href="https://osf.io/fd4rh/?view_only=c2f00dfe3677493faa421fc2ea38e295" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Open Science Framework</a> by researchers at the University of Oxford.
“It is becoming clear that the pandemic’s progression and impact may be strongly related to the demographic composition of the population, specifically population age structure,” the researchers wrote.
But Japan, too, has much interaction between the generations, so why was Italy hit so much harder?
It doesn&#8217;t appear to be testing, despite what the mainstream media in the U.S. say. Japan has not conducted extensive testing for COVID-19 on its citizens. South Korea has done nearly 5,600 tests per million residents — third most in the world, according to ourworldindata.com — while Japan has done just 130 per million, putting the country in 21st place. Italy, meanwhile, is sixth at roughly 2,500 per million, while Hong Kong comes in 14th at about 700 per million.
Another possible factor: The Japanese are known as fastidious and many wear masks and gloves daily in public (both to ward off infections and to deal with pollution). Plus, they practice social distancing in everyday life (along with bows instead of handshakes), so that, too, may be playing a role.
But some experts say it was the Japanese government&#8217;s quick recommendation to close schools for at least two months and cancel sports events and concerts that played a large role in reducing the spread of the virus. The U.S. was slower in making that call, and that, the experts say, is leading to a steady increase in COVID-19 cases, at least for now.
One other factor is interesting: In places like South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong (and Singapore, which also cut off the virus&#8217;s spread quickly), the central government is strong. What&#8217;s more, people there are used to following the directives of their governments. In countries like Italy and the U.S. residents enjoy their freedom and don&#8217;t always do exactly what their governments tell them to do.
It&#8217;s still early in the U.S. While the upward curve of cases reportedly flattened out weeks ago in Wuhan, China — Ground Zero for COVID-19 — the virus spread has yet to peak in the U.S., and won&#8217;t for several weeks. How bad it gets here depends much on how seriously Americans take the situation.
While the U.S. is on a similar arc as Italy right now, it very quickly could become a South Korea or Japan &#8212; only time will tell.
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Coronavirus &#8211; Cologne

Why COVID-19 Hit Some Countries So Hard — And What It Means For The U.S.

Japan

Update: The Verge now reports that the company that originally made the valves, Intersurgical, didn&#8217;t threaten the volunteers. Temporelli gave an &#8220;ambiguous&#8221; account of the call he had with the medical supply company, saying the company informed him it was illegal to provide them the blueprints for the valves. Romaioli said they were not threatened.
Also, earlier reports that the original valves cost more than $10,000 are also now disputed.
Intersurgical released a statement to The Verge denying any threat:
<blockquote>
Just to confirm that recent reports from Italy are totally incorrect, we were contacted at the end of last week for manufacturing details of a valve accessory but could not supply these due to medical manufacturing regulations, we have categorically not threatened to sue anyone involved. The valve is an accessory supplied as part of a CPAP Hood system which alone costs a few euros.
Our Italian company has been doing their utmost to supply the hospitals at this time and have been supplying these free of charge in many cases to use with the CPAP Hoods. It is very disappointing that in the current climate this incorrect information is circulating, our focus as a company is to be able to supply the hospitals that require these and many other vital products and we are making every effort to ensure we can do so.
</blockquote>
Romaioli and Temporelli also told the outlet that both their product and Intersurgical&#8217;s serve a purpose and that the 3D-printed valves aren&#8217;t the long-term solutions.
Original article, edited to remove information about the alleged threat:
Italy was already in the midst of their coronavirus crisis when a new fear set in: There weren’t enough ventilator valves at one of the country’s hospitals to treat the patients suffering the most. Even worse, the medical supply company that typically provided those valves told the hospital that it couldn’t produce the new valves in time to help the patients due to the crisis creating increased demand for the product.
The hospital took to Giornale di Brescia, an Italian newspaper, and mentioned the shortage, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-italian-hospital-3d-printed-breathing-valves-covid-19-patients-2020-3">according to Business Insider</a>. Massimo Temporelli, the founder of local startup FabLab, noticed the ad, and decided to take action.
“FabLab is an Italian company that specializes in innovative manufacturing solutions. However, the restrictions on movement imposed in Italy prevented Temporelli himself — who is based in Milan — from handling the matter,” Business Insider reported. “After searching around, the physicist connected with startup Isinnova, which is based in Brescia — near Chiari, where the hospital is located — and has a 3D printer.”
Two engineers with Isinnova – Cristian Fracassi and Alessandro Ramaioli – worked with Temporelli to start 3D-printing the valves within 6 hours. The team was able to design a valve that worked properly and sent it to the hospital, which began successfully using it to treat patients.
The Verge is now reporting that Fracassi and Ramaioli had asked the medical supply company for blueprints of the valves so they could quickly and easily make replicas. Fracassi and Ramaioli went ahead with their plans by measuring the valves and creating three different versions.
Temporelli said <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ing.Cristian.Fracassi/posts/10222339428782713">on Facebook</a> that the valves created by Fracassi and Ramaioli have been used by 10 patients.
“[The patients] were people in danger of life, and we acted. Period,” Fracassi wrote, adding that “we have no intention of profit on this situation, we are not going to use the designs or product beyond the strict need for us forced to act, we are not going to spread the drawing.”
Fracassi also used the post to set the record straight on what has been reported by the media regarding the valves, including the purported low cost of the valves they created:
<blockquote>First of all, it&#8217;s true: we received a call, we were told that the valves for the respirators were missing in the Chiari hospital and people were dying. The ordinary way, that of supplying standard parts, was not practicable for a simple reason of time.
What were we supposed to do?
Do you know in the movies when someone is about to fall into the ravine? Usually at that moment the protagonist arrives and throws him a rope, but this rope is frayed &#8230; and time runs. We do not believe that at that moment there are many questions about whether the rope is up to standard, or that it belongs to others. At that moment one thinks only of saving who is falling. Then, once safe, with the breath and the adrenaline that falls, you can reason.
Here, we found ourselves in that situation. There were people in danger of life, and we acted. Point.
Now, with a cold mind, let&#8217;s reason.
First, don&#8217;t call us, as some have done, heroes. Sure, people were going to die, but we only did our duty. In fact, refusing would not have been a cowardly but a murderous act. Far be it from us.
Do not call us, as some have done, geniuses. If anything, the genius is Venturi, who has identified the physical principle that we have limited ourselves to applying, as any other engineer would have done. There is no genius in the piece that everyone is talking about, there is only the application of a physical principle.
But now also allow us to silence words that are flying beyond our intentions, and beyond our control: we have no intention of making a profit on this situation, we are not going to use the designs or the product beyond the strict need that we forced to act, we have no intention of spreading the design. But not only: in this time when public opinion is very susceptible, we ask you not to throw yourself at anyone. If we have acted quickly, it is only because with 3D printers you can quickly try a small production which, on the other hand, on the industrial scale would be impossible. And finally, let us also say that certain figures that we see turn are absolutely not true: we do not want to go into detail, because the cost of a piece is not that of the weight of a small pile of plastic: professionals time, costs of materials, energy etc. come into play. In short, the cost is something complex, but let us keep the secret, and the right does not know what the left does.
We simply wish that only one thing remained of this story: the community, made up of a hospital, a newspaper, a team of professionals, ran against time and saved lives. That&#8217;s all.
The rest &#8211; rights, certifications, costs and controversies &#8211; should remain silent in the face of the undeniable superiority of the sacred right to life. If you don&#8217;t share, don&#8217;t ask us, but the people who &#8211; thank God &#8211; are still breathing.</blockquote>

Medical equipment

Volunteers 3D-Printed Valves To Save Coronavirus Patients [UPDATED]

This article has been updated since its original publication. 
As Surgeon General Jerome Adams put it on Monday: the next two weeks will be America&#8217;s time window to see whether or not the COVID-19 pandemic will unfold like the panic-stricken Italy or the relatively stable South Korea, depending on how diligent people are about following guidelines.
In South Korea, as of this writing, the current death toll for COVID-19 stands at 66, which equals about 0.6% of those infected. Conversely, the death toll in Italy <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/health/italy-coronavirus-death-toll-now-tops-2-000/1768270">now tops 2,000</a> as the country&#8217;s healthcare system quickly becomes overwhelmed, with nurses and doctors having to make difficult decisions regarding which patients to whom they will administer care. Here&#8217;s why the pandemic unfolded so differently in the two countries, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/opinions/south-korea-italy-coronavirus-survivability-sepkowitz/index.html">CNN:</a>
<blockquote>Though testing is known to effectively reduce the risk of transmission, many experts are beginning to also associate more widespread testing with the statistic of greatest concern — survival from the disease.
The connection seems straightforward. Consider two countries with large outbreaks.
In South Korea, the rate of testing has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-covid-19-tests-per-capita-chart-us-behind-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quite high</a> (3,692 tests per million people as of March 8), and its mortality among those infected quite low (about 0.6%, or 66 deaths, at last count).
By contrast, Italy tests about 826 people per million and its mortality among those with diagnosed infection is <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-how-many-coronavirus-tests-per-capita-have-been-completed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">about</a> 10 times higher, with more than 1,000 people dead from the disease.</blockquote>
Though COVID-19 testing works to help prevent the spread of infection (as opposed to treating the infection), it cannot necessarily be correlated with fewer deaths and a relatively stable healthcare apparatus. In fact, much of South Korea&#8217;s success in fighting this pandemic stems from several factors, including Italy&#8217;s high senior population and high smoking rate for women.
&#8220;According to <a href="https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WPA2015_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a UN report</a> in 2015, 28.6% of the Italian population was 60 years old or older (second in the world after Japan at 33%),&#8221; continued CNN. &#8220;This compares to South Korea, where 18.5% of the population is at least 60 years of age, ranking 53rd globally. The impact of this disparity is<a href="https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/covid-19-infografica_eng.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> quickly shown</a> in the analysis of coronavirus deaths in each county. In Italy, 90% of the more than 1,000 deaths occur in those 70 or older.&#8221;
In South Korea, 30% of COVID-19 patients were in their 20s versus just 20% 60 years or older. The survival rate breaks strongly along gender lines as well in South Korea, where at least 62% of cases were reported among women. If China provides a window, the death rate among men currently stands at 4.7% versus just 2.8% among women. None of this even accounts for the smoking rates in Italy among women.
&#8220;Smoking is another factor clearly associated with poor survival. <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/smoking-rates-by-country/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smoking rates</a> are about the same between the two countries: 24% for Italians and 27% for South Koreans,&#8221; reported CNN. &#8220;But gender differences among smokers are widely different: In Italy, 28% of men versus 20% of women smoke, while in Korea, it is about 50% of men and less than 5% (!) of women. In other words, South Korea has an outbreak among youngish, non-smoking women, whereas Italy&#8217;s disease is occurring among the old and the very old, many of whom are smokers. (We do not know the male-female breakdown of Italy&#8217;s cases).&#8221;
Given that the United States has entered the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not know exactly how it will spread among particular demographics for several weeks. Until then, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/surgeon-general-we-can-turn-this-in-right-direction-if-americans-follow-key-precautions">follow the safety guidelines</a> as outlined by the surgeon general and practice social distancing.
The original article mistakenly said that the South Korean death rate stood at 0.06%. The article has been adjusted to say 0.6%.

Italy Continues Nationwide Lockdown To Control Coronavirus Spread

Here’s Why COVID-19 Ravaged Italy While South Korea Remained Relatively Stable

South Korea

Italian journalist Mattia Ferraresi says many of his fellow citizens were “too selfish to follow suggestions to change our behavior” when it comes to the coronavirus and is warning people in other countries not to follow in their footsteps.
Ferraresi, who usually writes for the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, penned <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/13/opinion/coronavirus-cautionary-tale-italy-dont-do-what-we-did/">an op-ed</a> for The Boston Globe regarding the country’s struggle with the coronavirus. He said that because Italians didn’t take the warning signs seriously, more people got sick and now their health care system is “on the brink of collapse.”
“An anesthesiologist at a hospital in Bergamo, one of the cities with the most cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, told the [Il Corriere della Sera] that the intensive care unit was already at capacity, and doctors were being forced to start making difficult triage decisions, admitting people who desperately need mechanical ventilation based on age, life expectancy, and other factors. Just like in wartime. The article was inexplicably placed on page 15, while the main headline on the newspaper’s front page relayed the political quarrels over the measures to curb the contagion,” Ferraresi wrote.
He wrote that the manager of one of the most advanced health care systems in Europe said anesthesiologists were “weeping in the hospital hallways because of the choices they are going to have to make.”
The hospital system quickly became overwhelmed across the country, making those difficult decisions prevalent. Ferraresi explained that this was due to a virus that many Italians “failed to take seriously. He warned other countries not to make the same mistake:
<blockquote>We of course couldn’t stop the emergence of a previously unknown and deadly virus. But we could have mitigated the situation we are now in, in which people who could have been saved are dying. I, and too many others, could have taken a simple yet morally loaded action: We could have stayed home.
What has happened in Italy shows that less-than-urgent appeals to the public by the government to slightly change habits regarding social interactions aren’t enough when the terrible outcomes they are designed to prevent are not yet apparent; when they become evident, it’s generally too late to act. I and many other Italians just didn’t see the need to change our routines for a threat we could not see.</blockquote>
He explained that Italy is 10 days ahead of France, Germany, and Spain in the epidemic progression and 13-to 16 days head of the U.K. and U.S.
“That means those countries have the opportunity to take measures that today may look excessive and disproportionate, yet from the future, where I am now, are perfectly rational in order to avoid a health care system collapse,” he wrote.
“The way to avoid or mitigate all this in the United States and elsewhere is to do something similar to what Italy, Denmark, and Finland are doing now, but without wasting the few, messy weeks in which we thought a few local lockdowns, canceling public gatherings, and warmly encouraging working from home would be enough stop the spread of the virus. We now know that wasn’t nearly enough,” he added.

Italy Coronavirus

Italian Journalist Warns Others Not To Follow In Italy’s ‘Selfish’ Footsteps Regarding Coronavirus

An Italian medical society has published new healthcare guidelines that suggest doctors in the region should prepare for potential “catastrophe medicine” measures, a scenario that would require doctors to determine whether a patient will, or will not, receive healthcare.  
According to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/who-gets-hospital-bed/607807/">The Atlantic</a>, the Italian College of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care published the guidelines as a response to Italy’s surge in coronavirus cases. According to The <a href="https://apnews.com/a4fa4834ff99d14b50434504370505d9">Associated Press</a>, Italy has confirmed 17,660 coronavirus cases and 1,266 deaths related to the virus. 
The Atlantic reports that the document begins by “likening the moral choices Italian doctors may face to the forms of wartime triage that are required” during natural disasters and times of war. 
Following the introduction, the document establishes that the guidelines have been tailored to the principle of maximizing benefits for the largest number of people, given the limited healthcare resources available, and that the guidelines would apply to all patients, not just those sick with coronavirus. 
In adherence with principle of maximizing the greatest good, the final recommendations advocate that doctors prepare themselves in the event they need to establish an age-limit for healthcare, or block healthcare access to people with pre-existing conditions. 
According to The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/world/coronavirus-news.html">New York Times</a>, one Italian town has already began refusing treatment to “the very old,” while another town has been refusing patients with coronavirus-induced pneumonia. 
Italy, a country of over 60 million people, is currently on quarantine to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, a strategy in epidemiology known as “flattening the curve.” 
According to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/3/10/21171481/coronavirus-us-cases-quarantine-cancellation">Vox</a>, flattening the curve involves enacting isolation strategies, including self-quarantines and social distancing, to delay the peak of the epidemic and prevent the virus from spreading as quickly. 
By stunting the transmission rate of the virus, society at-large can prevent doctors and hospitals from being inundated with patients all at once, increasing the chances of patients receiving treatment and the odds of lowering the mortality rate, reports the news agency. 
The World Health Organization declared on Wednesday that the coronavirus was now at pandemic levels, reports <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/11/814474930/coronavirus-covid-19-is-now-officially-a-pandemic-who-says">NPR</a>. The organization last declared a pandemic in 2009, during the swine flu outbreak. 
Dr. Anthony Fauci, an immunologist on the White House coronavirus taskforce, has been informing the American public that the spread of the virus will continue, and that the country should prepare for circumstances to become worse before they improve. 
“It’s certainly going to get worse before it gets better… there’s no doubt we have not peaked yet,” said Fauci, as The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-to-declare-national-emergency">Daily Wire</a> reported Friday. 
Fauci stated that it is currently unclear whether the United States will enact a complete shut-down strategy in the vein of Italy: “I’m not sure we’re going to get to that. I think that would be really rather dramatic, but I can tell you that all things are on the table. We just have to respond as things evolve over the days and the weeks.”
President Trump had announced that a press conference would be held Friday at 3 p.m. EST, during which he is expected to declare a national emergency. By declaring a national emergency, the president would allow the release of federal aid to help areas around the country combat the coronavirus.

ITALY-CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS

Italian Doctors Suggest Age-Limit For Healthcare, Guidelines Invoke Wartime Measures

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday that the government has locked down the entire country in an attempt to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus, which originated in China.
&#8220;Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the measures, which come into effect on Tuesday, were necessary to defend the most fragile members of the community,&#8221; the BBC reported. &#8220;He added that the best thing for the citizens of Italy was to stay at home. Italy&#8217;s coronavirus death toll jumped on Monday by 97 to 463. It is the worst-hit country after China.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tells Italians to stay at home, to think of the common good, to play their part to combat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Coronavirus</a>. Cancels all sports matches across the country.
&mdash; Mark Lowen (@marklowen) <a href="https://twitter.com/marklowen/status/1237116775424307200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Conte said that everyone should stay &#8220;at home&#8221; and that the country decided that the expanded measures needed to be done &#8220;immediately.&#8221;
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/italy-bolsters-quarantine-checks-after-initial-lockdown-confusion-11583756737">highlighted</a> some of the economic impacts of the expanded quarantine:
<blockquote>The airline Alitalia canceled all service into and out of Malpensa, one of Italy’s busiest airports, which serves Milan and the country’s northwest. Italy’s national carrier is only offering a limited number of domestic flights from Linate, Milan’s smaller airport. On Monday morning, more than two-thirds of flights from Linate had been canceled, although easyJet flights to London and Paris departed.
Sports-car maker Ferrari, which has its headquarters and only factory in the quarantined province of Modena, said it is operating normally. Other manufacturers in the quarantined areas said they were also operating, although they had taken new precautions against the virus, such as keeping workers further apart than normal, and placing bottles of hand sanitizer throughout their factories.</blockquote>
Conte said that the country was committing to a massive spending increase to wipe out the negative impacts that the coronavirus was having on the country.
“We certainly won’t stop here,” Conte said. “We will have to use massive shock therapy.”
This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.

1st Week of Gastronomy of Italy in the World &#8211; Rio de Janeiro

BREAKING: Italy Locks Down Entire Country Over Coronavirus Outbreak

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), appeared on “Fox News Sunday” with host Chris Wallace to speak about the latest developments in the fight against coronavirus.
Wallace first asked Fauci about the spread of the virus, as well as the number of confirmed cases and deaths in the United States.
Fauci replied:
<blockquote>Well, we&#8217;re having obviously an acceleration of cases now. If you look at it, every day we get more and more. We have somewhere around 350. Probably going to be close to 400 if it isn&#8217;t already there. We have at least 18 deaths and they keep coming on every day that goes by. What we&#8217;re seeing is what is called “community spread” in certain regions of the country, particularly in the area of Washington state, Seattle.</blockquote>
“So, Italy just announced that it is going to lock down an entire region of northern Italy that includes Milan and Venice with a quarter of the population, millions of people, nobody&#8217;s going to be allowed, except under extraordinary circumstances, to go in or to go out,” Wallace stated. “Could that happened here?”
Fauci noted that “we have to be realistic.”
<blockquote>I don&#8217;t think it would be as draconian as “nobody in and nobody out,” but there will be, if we continue to get cases like this, particularly at the community level, there will be what we call mitigation, where you&#8217;ll have to do essentially social distancing, keep people out of crowded places, take a look at seriousness, do you really need to travel – those kinds of things.</blockquote>
The NIAID head added that this type of mitigation information is most valuable for those who are particularly vulnerable to this virus, such as the elderly and infirm.
<blockquote>And that&#8217;s the thing that the CDC and the State Department are going to be making some recommendations about, how people who have underlying conditions, those are the most vulnerable, particularly elderly with underlying conditions – heart disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes – to do right now, not wait, but right now, to sort of take a look at things that are at high risk – crowded places, getting on airplanes, and absolutely don&#8217;t get on a cruise ship.</blockquote>
Wallace pressed Fauci on the idea of the United States implementing measures similar to those being seen in Italy, which on Sunday placed millions on lockdown.
“Could you see a situation &#8230; where a city is shut down or a state or a region is shut down &#8230; nobody in, nobody out?” Wallace asked.
Fauci replied:
<blockquote>It&#8217;s possible. I think what you need to do on real-time basis – and that&#8217;s the reason why we evaluate it literally every single day – you know, you don&#8217;t want to alarm people, but given the spread we see, you know, anything is possible, and that&#8217;s the reason why we&#8217;ve got to be prepared to take whatever action is appropriate to contain and mitigate the outbreak.</blockquote>
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According to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-map-confirmed-cases-2020-n1120686">NBC News</a>, which cites data from its own reports, the “World Health Organization, state government leaders and health officials,” there have been over 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, and more than 3,500 deaths as of Sunday.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-york-gov-cuomo-declares-state-of-emergency-amid-growing-number-of-coronavirus-cases">New York Gov. Cuomo Declares ‘State Of Emergency’ Amid Growing Number Of Coronavirus Cases</a>

Italy coronavirus

WATCH: Fox News’ Chris Wallace Asks Fauci If The U.S. Could Face Quarantine Measures Similar To Italy

Anthony Fauci

Italy is reportedly instituting a widespread lockdown of millions of its citizens in the northern part of the country in response to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, which originated in China.
&#8220;The Italian government is locking down 17 million people—more than a quarter of its population—including in Milan, the surrounding Lombardy region and 14 neighboring provinces, in the most sweeping steps any European country has prepared to take against the coronavirus epidemic,&#8221; The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/italy-plans-large-scale-lockdown-in-countrys-north-to-fight-coronavirus-11583613874">reported</a>. &#8220;Police, emergency services and if needed the army will be available to enforce the quarantine. People violating the lockdown can be punished with a fine or jail terms, according to the draft decree.&#8221;
The BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51787238">reported</a> that the mandatory quarantine would last until at least early April.
The BBC highlighted some of the new actions being taken by Italy:
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<blockquote>Night clubs, gyms, swimming pools, museums and ski resorts will be closed.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Restaurants and cafes can open but customers must sit at least a metre apart.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>People will be told to stay home as much as possible, and those who break the quarantine could face three months in jail.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Sports competitions will close to the public, and the president of Italy&#8217;s football players&#8217; union has called for all matches to be postponed.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>The country has said it will start recruiting retired doctors in an effort to combat the escalating outbreak.</blockquote>
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The news comes as the number of cases of coronavirus around the world hit over 105,000 late on Saturday with over 3,500 deaths.
Italy has the largest confirmed outbreak outside of Asia so far with nearly 6,000 cases and over 230 deaths.
This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.

Coronavirus Emergency In Padova

Italy Moving To Chinese-Style Quarantine Of Over 25% Of Its Population

Italy is grappling with trying to stop an explosive outbreak of the coronavirus, which originated in China, in the northern part of the country by placing nearly a dozen towns on a strict quarantine while top medical experts warn that the virus is nearing &#8220;pandemic&#8221; levels.
&#8220;Officials said on Sunday that a third Italian had died from the virus as the infection count rose to 152, up from just three identified cases on Friday morning, raising fears that coronavirus is spreading at pace through Europe,&#8221; the Financial Times <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2f937640-5621-11ea-abe5-8e03987b7b20">reported</a>. &#8220;Authorities also closed schools and universities as they struggled to find the source of the outbreak. Large Italian companies, including the bank UniCredit, told employees in affected towns not to come to work.&#8221;
The rapidly escalating situation in Italy comes as South Korea is dealing with an even larger outbreak of the coronavirus as 602 people have been infected and at least six people have died.
&#8220;Many of South Korea’s coronavirus cases are in the southeastern city of Daegu, which has essentially been placed under a state of emergency, though people are still free to enter and leave the city,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html">reported</a>. &#8220;More than half of the people confirmed to have been infected are either members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive religious sect with a strong presence in Daegu, or their relatives or other contacts.&#8221;
On Saturday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who specializes in immunology, <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2002/22/smer.01.html">told</a> CNN that the spread of the coronavirus has hit nearly pandemic levels.
&#8220;Well, a pandemic is when you have an infectious disease that is being consistently and sustained transmission from person to person, through a wide range of regions, countries, and areas of the globe,&#8221; Fauci said. &#8220;So, for example, in China, it&#8217;s epidemic because it&#8217;s concentrated in China. But once you start to get other countries in which you have sustained transmissibility, then you really have the makings of a pandemic.&#8221;
&#8220;I think &#8230; that we are clearly at the brink of that,&#8221; Fauci continued. &#8220;Let me explain briefly why. Because our fate is going to be determined by the ability of countries outside of China that have travel-related cases. And now they&#8217;re starting to develop sustained transmission from person to person to person. So that right now, it&#8217;s not just travel- related cases, so when you get countries like Japan and South Korea that have these cases that are person to person to person without any real ability to point to where it came from, that&#8217;s the makings of a pandemic. And if you have multiple countries like that, then the horse is out the barn, and it&#8217;s going to be very difficult to prevent more cases from coming here to our own country.&#8221;
NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-u-s-map-where-virus-has-been-confirmed-across-n1124546">reported</a> that there have been at least 34 people in the U.S. have been infected by the coronavirus.
NBC News reported “11 of the those cases are travel-related, two are the result of person-to-person spread in the U.S., and 21 cases are in individuals evacuated from either Wuhan, China or the Diamond Princess cruise ship.”

Northern Italy Locks Down To Try Prevent The Spread Of Coronavirus

Coronavirus Explodes In Italy, Numerous Towns Now Quarantined. Doctor Warns ‘Pandemic’ Near.

After Richard Gere urged European leaders to allow North African migrants into their countries on Friday, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini responded with a sarcastic statement suggesting the Hollywood star will surely load up the migrants onto his &#8220;private jet&#8221; and house them in his villas.
&#8220;As the generous millionaire airs his demands about the fate of the Open Arms immigrants, we thank him: He will be able to bring everyone in his private jet to Hollywood and keep them in his villas,&#8221; Salvini said in a statement following Gere&#8217;s media stunt, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/richard-gere-matteo-salvini-migrants-mediterranean-sea-open-arms-a9051941.html">according</a> to The Independent. &#8220;Thank you, Richard!&#8221;
The &#8220;Pretty Woman&#8221; star spoke to the press on Friday on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea, joining representatives from pro-migrant organization Open Arms. Surrounded by young male migrants, Gere said &#8220;the most important thing&#8221; is for the migrants aboard &#8220;to be able to get to a free port, to be able to get off the boats and get on land and start a new life.&#8221;
Gere was handing out supplies to the migrants aboard the ship.
Salvini has refused to accept the migrants into Italy, staying true to his tough talk on migrants and immigration, more broadly. According to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42853/italy-migrant-numbers-plummet-face-new-nationalist-paul-bois">report</a> from Fox News published at the beginning of this year, Italy experienced a tumble in immigration. &#8220;Italy&#8217;s nationalist-populist government is hailing new numbers that show immigration into the country has plummeted dramatically within months of the government taking power, due to its refusal to accept NGO rescue boats of migrants coming from Africa,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;Official data show that in January 2018, 3,176 migrants landed on the Italian coast via boats. But in January 2019 that number was just 155.&#8221;
According to The Independent, Gere said at press conference concerning migrants that &#8220;demonizing people has to stop everywhere on the planet, and it will stop if we say stop.&#8221;
&#8220;We have our problems with refugees coming from Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico &#8230; It&#8217;s very similar to what you are going through here,&#8221; the actor said, drawing comparisons to President Donald Trump.
&#8220;These are extraordinary people, they are so strong, they have been such through such horrors,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Their passage from their home counties to Libya, what they had to endure, the women above all. [&#8230;] The women had been all raped, multiple times. The men tortured in prison, not just once but multiple times,&#8221; Gere noted, adding, &#8220;What most people refer to as migrants, I refer to as refugees that are running from a fire.&#8221;
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As <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-10/italy-s-salvini-tells-richard-gere-to-take-stranded-migrants">noted</a> by Bloomberg News, &#8220;Salvini has made a flagship policy of refusing to allow the migrant vessels, coming mostly from nearby North Africa, to enter Italian waters. Now in the first steps of a months-long electoral campaign, Salvini is likely to double down on the anti-immigrant rhetoric that&#8217;s made him Italy&#8217;s most popular politician for now.&#8221;
Open Arms founder Oscar Camps claims migrants rescued in international waters &#8220;have a right to safe harbor and to apply for asylum in Europe,&#8221; the outlet noted, adding: &#8220;The vessel is floating in international waters near the island, which is located about half-way between Tunisia and the southern Italian coast.&#8221;
&#8220;No decree or fine will stop us from protecting people at sea,&#8221; Camps <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-10/italy-s-salvini-tells-richard-gere-to-take-stranded-migrants">vowed</a>.

Italy’s Matteo Salvini Stings Richard Gere With Sarcastic Statement After Refugee Plea

Hollywood

Migrants

Three female judges in an appeals court in Italy overturned a 2015 rape conviction in part because the victim in question was deemed too ugly to have been raped. The alleged victim, then 20 years old, was not found to be a credible rape victim because she was too unattractive and &#8220;masculine,&#8221; according to the three female judges. The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6803911/Italy-outraged-court-finds-victim-ugly-raped.html?fbclid=IwAR3M1uxkT4CM_tWDx6bCmt0pJl0W7rMqxGX8WZWQWs2WxMHxFWgkoXiuCig">reports</a>:
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Two Peruvian men were initially convicted of the 2015 rape of a Peruvian woman in Ancona, but the Italian appeals court overturned the verdict and absolved them, finding that she was not a credible witness. In part of the ruling, the court noted that the suspects had found her unattractive and too &#8220;masculine&#8221; to be a credible rape victim.
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The conviction was overturned by an all-female panel in 2017 despite medics reportedly claiming the woman&#8217;s injuries were consistent with rape. The details concerning the reasoning behind the overturned conviction only became public earlier this month, however, according to The Daily Mail. &#8220;The Court of Cassation said Wednesday its own reasons for ordering the retrial will be issued next month,&#8221; noted the outlet.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a sentence that has shocked us, I was astonished when reading the motivation,&#8221; the woman&#8217;s lawyer, Cinzia Molinaro, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/13/europe/italy-rape-case-ancona-collapses-judges-rule-victim-masculine-intl/index.html">told</a> CNN.
The lawyer said the judges who overturned the conviction claimed his client was not credible because the men she accused &#8220;didn&#8217;t find her attractive, she was too masculine.&#8221;
Molinaro also said that the female judges further supported their ruling by noting that one of the accused men &#8220;saved the woman&#8217;s number in his phone as &#8216;Viking,&#8217; and stated that the &#8216;photograph present in her file would appear to confirm this,&#8217;&#8221; CNN reports.
The judges also questioned if the woman possibly &#8220;organized the &#8216;exuberant&#8217; evening&#8221; herself.
Molinaro said his client had to have &#8220;14 stitches in her vagina&#8221; the day following the alleged attack.
&#8220;She had confused memories of what exactly happened during the night because she was drugged,&#8221; Molinaro added.
Doctors, according to the lawyer, confirmed traces of the &#8220;date rape&#8221; drug in her blood.
Unsurprisingly, the new information has sparked protests within the country and Italy&#8217;s Justice Ministry has ordered a preliminary inquiry into the court.
A flashmob of angry protesters shouting &#8220;Shame!&#8221; reportedly erupted outside the Ancona court. <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/court-clears-men-after-woman-14137189">According</a> to The Mirror, protesters carried &#8220;Stop justifying male violence on women&#8221; signs.
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Oggi 200, domani 10 mila. Non scherzate con la rabbia delle donne (e degli uomini che le sostengono). <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchePride?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarchePride</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sentenza?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sentenza</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vergogna?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#vergogna</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ancona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ancona</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stupro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stupro</a> <a href="https://t.co/UWPK2kgnxM">pic.twitter.com/UWPK2kgnxM</a>
&#8212; Rebel Network (@RebelNtwk) <a href="https://twitter.com/RebelNtwk/status/1105245819865833472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Rape does not satisfy a desire for pleasure, but is an abominable hatred and contempt for the victim,&#8221; feminist group Rebel Network&#8217;s Luisa Rizzitelli <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/court-clears-men-after-woman-14137189">said</a> of the case.
&#8220;It does not depend on how feminine you are,&#8221; she added.
According to The Daily Mail, &#8220;The Justice Ministry said it was conducting the &#8216;necessary preliminary investigations&#8217; into the appeals verdict. Molinaro said the ministry can send investigators to a court to check if there were any problems or omissions in the sentence, even when the case is still under appeal.&#8221;

All-Female Court Panel Overturns Rape Conviction Because Woman Is Too Ugly To Be Credible Victim

Rape

Sexual Assault

The notorious Amanda Knox is back in the news again, this time for making a murder joke on her Instagram account, dividing people over whether or not it was simply a creative jest or a tasteless bout of flippancy.
According to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/amanda-knoxs-instagram-murder-joke-lights-up-social-media">Fox News</a>, Knox participated in a murder mystery party with friends recently. When posting photos of the event on social media, she used the opportunity to make some sarcastic comments about her role in the cosplay.
&#8220;Victorian London: A priceless painting goes missing and the owner is found both poisoned and stabbed. And would you believe it, I, the Countess of Lovelace, am accused,&#8221; Knox explained in an Instagram post on Sunday. &#8220;Also acquitted, all in 4 hours. Better than 4 years.&#8221;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuSOXCEDlKA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Victorian London: A priceless painting goes missing and the owner is found both poisoned and stabbed. And would you believe it, I, the Countess of Lovelace, am accused. Also acquitted, all in 4 hours. Better than 4 years. #murdermysteryparty Photos and party courtesy of @dame_valdis</a>
A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amamaknox/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Amanda Knox</a> (@amamaknox) on Feb 24, 2019 at 4:32pm PST&#8221;You have no shame,&#8221; one Instagram user wrote, in part.
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Knox became an instantaneous household name in 2009 when Italian authorities convicted her and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher. The conviction was later overturned by appeal in 2011 when evidence surfaced indicating Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede was the killer. However, in 2014, Knox was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/world/europe/italy-amanda-knox-retrial/">found guilty again</a> by Italian authorities in yet another retrial. Despite Rudy Guede&#8217;s conviction, Italian prosecutors maintained that Knox and Sollecito played some role in Kercher&#8217;s death, arguing that Knox, Sollecito, and Guede murdered Kercher after she refused to become involved in a sex game. Italy&#8217;s Supreme Court overturned the acquittals, arguing that the jury did not consider all the evidence and that some discrepancies in their testimonies needed to be answered. In 2015, the conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Cassation, definitively ruling that Knox and Sollecito were innocent of the charges.
In late January, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) later ordered the Italian government to pay Knox 18,400 Euros in compensation for having violated her rights. &#8220;Ms. Knox had been particularly vulnerable, being a foreign young woman, 20 at the time, not having been in Italy for very long and not being fluent in Italian,&#8221; the court noted.
Knox&#8217;s defense attorney, Carlo Dalla Vedova, argued her conviction was &#8220;probably the biggest legal mistake&#8221; Italy has seen in years.
&#8220;It is impossible to compensate Amanda for four years in prison for a mistake, said Carlo. &#8220;There will be no amount. We are not looking for compensation of damages. We are doing this on principle.&#8221;
Despite Knox&#8217;s clear sarcasm in the Instagram post, certain Instagram users were deeply offended by the joke, denouncing it as distasteful.
&#8220;You have no shame,&#8221; one Instagram user wrote, in part.
&#8220;Anything for attention,&#8221; a user echoed.
&#8220;Murder, your favourite subject!&#8221; a third added.
One user testified to Knox&#8217;s innocence while believing the joke distasteful: &#8220;I believe you are innocent of the murder of Meredith Kercher, Amanda, but really, this post is ridiculously tone deaf. Surely, you must have expected some backlash?&#8221;
Others were more supportive of Knox.
&#8220;Knox displayed class and admirable restraint in an incredibly trying setting. A lovely and dignified young lady I&#8217;d be honored to meet!&#8221; one user said.
Another said, &#8220;Sense of humor gets us through! To you folks trashing her &#8212; maybe you should get one.&#8221;

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