re: Italy reports 793 new deaths

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I thought the lockdown was supposed to bend the curve?

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Italy has only been locked down for 12 days or so. Think the average time from infection to death is 18 days so you aren’t really expecting to see these numbers go down yet. Italy got way behind on testing and this thing was overwhelming their system by the time they figured out what was happening.

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What in the frick is going on over there?

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Italy made a mega economic deal involving infrastructure, production, etc with China in 2013. There are and have been hordes Chinese people constantly in and out of Italy building, producing, etc. It's part of the modern silk road to Europe, that gateway to Europe basically. It's no coincidence and it's not bc of an aging population. Italy sold itself to China.

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Have you seen Spain's numbers? It's quickly escalating.

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I’m wondering if there’s a genetic “marker” (not sure if that’s the right terminology) that puts those in Mediterranean/Southern Europe at higher risk?

You’ve seen similar spreads in New York/New Jersey as well as New Orleans.

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By the time it really exploded they had run out of critical equipment like ventilators.

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They’re to the point that doctors are having to decide which patients have the best chance of surviving on a ventilator. I would not want to be one of those doctors.

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What in the frick is going on over there?

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2nd oldest population, high amount of Chinese illegals, a healthcare system not ready/overwhelmed, a country of 60+ million with the land mass of about New Mexico, and a high amount of smokers.

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not the problem. Learn some real facts. stop parroting what someone esle parroted to you.

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Well I’ve read that’s a part of the reason on several sites, but since you clearly have all the answers why don’t you shed some light on it? Or just be a douche without adding to the discussion

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One factor affecting the country’s death rate may be the age of its population—Italy has the oldest population in Europe, with about 23% of residents 65 or older, according to The New York Times. The median age in the country is 47.3, compared with 38.3 in the United States, the Times reported. Many of Italy’s deaths have been among people in their 80s, and 90s, a population known to be more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19, according to The Local.

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In addition, as people age, the chances of developing at least one condition that weakens their immune system—such as cancer or diabetes—increases, said Krys Johnson, an epidemiologist at the Temple University College of Public Health. Such conditions also make people more susceptible to severe illness from coronavirus, she said.

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One factor in the high death toll so far is the high median age in Italy, which is 47 years, compared to 37 in China and 38 in the U.S. Stated as a percentage of the total population, Italy has more people over the age of 80, 90, or 100 than any other major industrialized country except Japan. With the average age of a COVID-19 victim in Italy over 80, that is a factor, with most of the elderly victims already suffering from serious underlying medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, or hypertension

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Yeah it is incredible what’s happening there. China didn’t have deaths like that, and yet they likely have less sanitary conditions, more people, and more poverty.

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I’m wondering if there’s a genetic “marker” (not sure if that’s the right terminology) that puts those in Mediterranean/Southern Europe at higher risk?

You’ve seen similar spreads in New York/New Jersey as well as New Orleans.

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i think it's just more cultural, in terms of Europe

same reason why Italy, Spain and Portugal were 60% of the PIIGS (and Greece is also Mediterranean but avoided issues on this scale...so far)

South Korea appears to be an anomaly on the other side

Japan just isn't testing. i think it has to do with the Olympics issue

it's scary because italy has a very healthy population