Italy is the third country in the world for mortality from Covid, documents a study by John Hopkins University in Baltimore. For Graziano Onder, geriatrician of Gemelli and responsible for the report on mortality from ISS coronavirus, a lot depends on the fact that we live long but not in good health. “In our country, however, 90% of the deaths are for and not with Covid. Elderly people and with more pathologies killed by the virus anyway. We need to be aware of the current tragedy in order to take responsibility and observe the rules ».
Why do we die of Covid so much?
“First of all, it is not easy to compare these data, because while here all those who die and test positive for the swab are classified as deaths from Covid, it is not so in other countries. The characteristics of our population are also influencing mortality, a quarter of which is made up of over 65 years of age and is the oldest in Europe ».
Someone also points the finger at our public health system.
“This, let me tell you, is nonsense. Our national health service is not inferior to that of other countries, indeed. We have a universalistic system that covers the entire population. It was just us and the British to offer everything to everyone ».
Why in Germany, where the population is as old as ours, do people die so much less?
“It’s hard to explain. The health status of their population and their health model are not such as to justify this difference. I must assume that they too have a different method of counting deaths from Covid ».
Could it be that our elderly are a little less healthy?
“The average age of Covid victims is over 80 years and it is true that in Italy people live longer but with fewer years spent in good health. This is why I say that we must treasure this tragic experience by recalibrating our assistance system for the elderly and frail people ”.
Come?
“By involving more local medicine because the care model centered only on the hospital does not hold up in times of emergency but not even in normal periods. A territorial management program for chronic conditions needs to be structured. But if we want to age well we must focus a lot on prevention. For this reason, among the first projects to be financed with the recovery fund is the strengthening of the prevention services of the local health authorities “.
Speaking of home care, that for the positives in isolation at home.
“I know that Inspector Arcuri is bending over backwards to purchase and distribute the pulse oximeters which are essential for monitoring the respiratory condition. There are also many technological solutions that must however be made usable. Televisions are Columbus’s egg, but those who make them must also be reimbursed. And then the service must be usable from a normal smartphone or tablet without going through the Cup and installing programs ».
Is it then so as to discard the idea of creating protected time slots for the elderly who have to go shopping?
«The average age of the infected is 43 years. The contagion of the elderly occurs mainly by the youngest in the family. It is there that the protective barrier must be raised, limiting contacts and always with the mask ».
When are deaths expected to peak?
«We are reaching that of infections now. In the next two weeks we should finally start to see the victims drop ».
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