On February 21, 2020, Covid patient one in Italy is confirmed. It’s at Codogno, a small town in the Lodi area unknown to most, until that moment. In a few hours everything changes. It becomes the first Coronavirus outbreak not only in Italy, in Europe. Until the evening before, the small square, crossed by the residents, becomes the perfect set for the television services of all the main broadcasters, including Russian TV. The image of the window of the pharmacy in the country, with the sign “masks sold out” reaches the New York Times.
For the first time, we see medical personnel in protective suits, wearing gloves, masks, shoe covers getting out of an ambulance. In order to return to those images, the mind has to run far back, to the Spanish fever, “when you only died when you left the house and you didn’t know why”, the grandparents who lived through it often repeat.
Patient one is called Mattia, he is 38 years old and an employee of the Unilever company in Casalpusterlengo, a few kilometers away. He has a wife who will give birth to their first baby after a few months. He is hospitalized and while the news about his health is recurring, the cases increase, day after day.
The government implements the first special measures, schools and universities closed. A provision destined to transform on 11 March into a decree that blocks movements throughout the territory, everything stops. Italy is in lockdown. Everything that has happened from that moment on is a dense and recent story that has remained within us, together with the coffins of Bergamo, the intubated patients, the deserted streets, the closed schools, the long lines outside the supermarkets.
In between there is so much, from fear to pain, to hope. That of getting out of it, of being well, of returning to life as before. A sensation that we experienced in the summer, when we returned to go out, the infections had dropped a lot, the activities were restarting. Then, the second wave.
Today, one year after that February 21, 2020, there is an image that tells Codogno and the life of now better than all the others. It is that of the medical car that delivered the first dose of the anti Covid vaccine to Codogno. The symbol of life that comes back.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
