American Woman Living In Italy Writes Down A Coronavirus Warning To Americans And It Goes Viral
For about two weeks, Cristina Higgins, an American who lives in Italy, hasn’t traveled further from her apartment building than the driveway. She begins her days at the breakfast table with her husband and three children. Then, the kids go online to do their schoolwork from home. Throughout the day, Cristina looks at the news for updates on the coronavirus and checks in on her friends. The family usually spend their evenings by sitting down to play Monopoly.
“We have friends who are getting sick. It’s very stressful,” Higgins told NBC News from her home in Bergamo where she, just like everyone else, is under government-ordered home isolation even though she and her family are not sick. “I am nauseous all day long because every time I look at the news or talk to somebody else, something terrible has happened. And I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Documenting her thoughts, Cristina made a Facebook post where she explained what her experience has been like. Her story soon went viral, generating over 186,000 reactions, 116,000 comments, and 915,000 shares.
Image credits: cristina.higgins.7
Image credits: cristina.higgins.7
Recently, Italy restricted movement and closed all stores except for pharmacies, groceries, and other essential services to fight the spread of the virus. But it’s a question of whether they did it in time. For example, Lombardy, the country’s wealthiest region, boasts a health-care system as proficient as any in Western Europe. But The Washington Post reports that its facilities are still forced to delay surgeries, stop HIV treatments, convert regular hospital space into COVID-19 units, and depend on exhausted doctors and nurses in order to keep up.
“This is a war,” said Massimo Puoti, the head of infectious medicine at Milan’s Niguarda hospital, one of the largest in Lombardy. According to him, the goal — just like Christina said — is to limit infections, stave off the epidemic and learn more about the enemy. “We need time.”
However, as difficult as the situation is, the country still manages to get by. Gabriel Gatehouse of BBC Newsnight talked with a senior ICU doctor in Milan and he learned that even though around 10-15% of people who are infected need intensive care units, they’re coping at the moment, and they’re still able to bring into ICU departments everyone who needs them.
This video provides a coherent breakdown of the situation in Italy
While facing the virus, people are reminding one another how important official information as well as staying calm and safe really is
!["Karen Complains To HR About My Body, I Uno-Reverse Her Complaint, [And Now] Everyone Hates Her"](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/coworker-complains-to-hr-about-womans-body-revenge-latest.jpg "\"Karen Complains To HR About My Body, I Uno-Reverse Her Complaint, [And Now] Everyone Hates Her\"")
People asking "where are the facts" are sooooooo disconnected from the world, it's unbelievable. HERE are the facts. My company has made us work from home for a long time now, and the streets of a world metropolis are kinda empty. This is not fear mongering, it's a wake up call. Be cautious and don't panic, and we can overcome this crisis.
By facts they are asking for information about the virus. Making you work at home is not they want as it a reaction which people don't always agree with
For f**k sake, what do you want joseph? You want me to come there, kidnap you, and force you to see how it is down here? And we have to consider ourselves lucky, because we have universal healthcare, when it will come to america I will laugh because they don't have it, and we will see how bad the situation can be. I sincerely hope it doesn't happen, but who knows? Cities are empty, people are dying, hospitals are full, and if there are people who are kinda forced to go to work risking their health, there are some who are forced to stay closed and slowly losing all the money. It's f*****g madness, and you're asking for clues? Come here if you dare, and see with you bare eyes how a country can be destroyed in 2 weeks by a silent killer.
Working at home was just an example. And that "here" was referring to experience. Anyway, here you are. According to the statement of the 13th March, in Korea the numbers are these: 248,647 tested, 7,979 infected, 510 recovered, 67 deaths. These numbers are growing every day, with the number of confirmed infected growing by more than 100 a day. *Note: the reason I'm giving you numbers for the Korean situation is because that's where I am. As for Italy, my friend from Milan's province is in touch with her family every day and if you want the numbers, just ask and I'll get it to you. The problem here is the speed of the virus spreading.
oopsies guess I was super wrong about this yall, sorry.
Those aren't "facts". These are facts: 1. The US GDP is decreasing by 24% due to a virus that is fatal less than 3.4% of the time (>1% under 50). The world economy is set to lose over $1 trillion dollars. 2. 67% of Italians between 18-34 live with their parents. Only 35% in the US do. Not every county has a similar cultural safety net. The US economy is designed to rely on companies for benefits. When they are forced to stop working, they literally have no way of sustaining themselves and can easily end up homeless. For other age groups, CareerBuilder found that 78% of U.S. workers are living paycheck to paycheck. Checks stop? So do they. 3. By the end of this mania, 3.5 million jobs could be lost. Those most likely to lose them are: a) members of the brokest generation (Millennials); b) Hourly employees who work in service roles. 58% of this demographic has less than $5,000 in savings, and the average networth is only $8,000. They're literally screwed.
I too work am fortunate enough to work from home. But I also care about the repercussions of catastrophizing everything. Sources: 1.https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/16/millions-of-americans-could-lose-their-jobs-in-a-coronavirus-recession.html 2.https://www.businessinsider.com/average-american-millennial-net-worth-student-loan-debt-savings-habits-2019-6 3.https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/analysts-slash-gdp-estimates-as-coronavirus-ripples-through-economy-11584735139 4.https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/16/lower-coronavirus-death-rate-estimates/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/19/unemployment-insurance-today-coronavir 5.https://www.thelocal.it/20181218/two-thirds-of-young-italians-are-still-living-with-their-parents 6.https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/24/479327382/for-first-time-in-130-years-more-young-adults-live-with-parents-than-partners 7.https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/01/11/live-paycheck-to-paycheck-government-shutdown/#539754294f10
yoa yes
stephanie-casadaban love
teefan ?
I normally don't post on here, but as someone with a background in epidemiology, I thought my thoughts might help. In looking at the numbers, please don't forget that there are likely hundreds of people in this country who have coronavirus without realizing it due to milder symptoms. For instance in KS an elderly man with existing respiratory conditions died in a nursing home but so far is only one of 4 confirmed cases in KS, and the other 3 cases never were in contact with the 4th patient. They self-isolated and to date, public health officials in the state have not found that they transmitted the virus to anyone else. Who gave the elderly man the virus since he couldn't leave? Someone who had the virus, didn't know it, and visited his nursing home, because the virus didn't present in a severe manner for them. If we actually knew the true extent of the cases in the US that fatality rate would most likely drop to the levels we're used to seeing in other flu strains. Panic doesn't help.
Flattening the curve certainly helps; that's something Italy was not able to do, and it certainly was one of the largest factors in overloading their public health infrastructure. That's why responsible social distancing, hand-washing, and self-isolation measures if you think you're sick, are useful and will continue to make sure our hospitals are not overloaded with cases to the point where that fatality rate increases solely because of hospital logistics.
I think everybody knows that the official numbers in the US and UK (and Italy) are underestimates of the true spread and that the real death rate is lower. However normal flu does not overwhelm hospitals like we're seeing here, and without hospital treatment there would be many more people dying. Not to mention that vunerable people can get flu shots and that's not an option here. Panic doesn't help but neither does business as usual. Sensible, consistant actions to limit transmission, taken by everybody, does.
I live in Italy. What you say is very dangerous. Panic doesn't help, neither is saying that this is just a flu. It can cause a severe condition and it's heavily contagious. We have a public health care system in Italy, our sick leaves are paid with virtually no limitation. It's not the same in the USA. This could be worse if it spreads in the USA. Listen to what this woman says in the post, she is RIGHT.
"there are likely hundreds of people in this country who have coronavirus without realizing it" Since I understand that you are talking about the USA, I would say that there are probably already thousands, or even tens of thousands of people infected. Social Distancing (even between family members at home!) and Clean Hands are crucial. Personal Responsibility is key! It is not about ME. It is about protecting me so that I do not infect you - and then your granny dies from it.
I've seen people die of the SAME respiratory collapse from influenza back in the medical school/student days. It's the same populations at risk as are at risk for coronavirus. The PANIC is different --- we lose $, productivity, etc., to flu EVERY Year. I'm downvoted constantly, but that's facts. We see outdoor triage, etc., in the US every year from *FLU* (2009 H1N1 particularly). This isn't special to Italy, and I'm not going to be told I don't "know". My husband has lymphoma. He gets the flu, he dies. He gets acold, he can die. He gets Covid, he dies. And I've seen people die of "everyday" FLU, so yes, I take it seriously, I'm not in denial, I'm just NOT IN PANIC.
What you are saying doesn't change anything, allow it to continue spreading, and even if it's a small percentage that die it will wreak the some destruction as in Italy. Italy where for infected people over the age of 70 the mortality is now greater than 1 in 4....just think about that for a second.
Seasonal flu typically has a fatality rate of less than 0.1% some more severe flues get up to maybe 0.2%. At the time of writing about 40 Americans have died from coronavirus. If the coronavirus has that low fatality rate wouldn't that suggest we might be looking at 20 000 to 40 000 cases in the US already?
Unfortunately, the US government officials are not taking the virus seriously. We are not able to get tested unless we have had contact with someone who has the virus... but we don't know who has the virus because no one is being tested!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hey lets not forget that KS has also already had 48 deaths from the FLU! But they never called a state of the emergency for those people. Only when 1 person dies from C-19 is there a real problem? People are seriously crazy over this. Soon enough there will be a vaccine that will save the planet. But as with all infection diseases and illnesses there are and will be many who perish even with a vaccine. So really all this panic and fear the media has instilled in everyone's hearts is working for someone's agenda!
The facts: Yes, most people who get it don't show symptoms. But also: 10% need ICU care. And: Because NOBODY is vaccinated, and the 2 week period of no symptoms, it spreads much more easily than seasonal flu. It will spread - it's only a matter of time. But if we can slow down that spread, then we have a chance of not overwhelming the health care system. It would be good if doctors could still perform surgeries, cancer patients could still get their chemo, and people could still go see their doctor about that lump that's appeared... right? So no, don't panic. Buy groceries when you need to. Don't buy out all the masks and antibacterial soap. But stay 1m away from everyone when possible, stop hugging your friends, wash your hands often and properly, try not to touch your mouth or eyes, avoid big events & crowds at all costs, and try to go out less. Switch meetings to zoom. Just be prudent, all right? What possible risk is there in deciding to be prudent?
People asking "where are the facts" are sooooooo disconnected from the world, it's unbelievable. HERE are the facts. My company has made us work from home for a long time now, and the streets of a world metropolis are kinda empty. This is not fear mongering, it's a wake up call. Be cautious and don't panic, and we can overcome this crisis.
By facts they are asking for information about the virus. Making you work at home is not they want as it a reaction which people don't always agree with
For f**k sake, what do you want joseph? You want me to come there, kidnap you, and force you to see how it is down here? And we have to consider ourselves lucky, because we have universal healthcare, when it will come to america I will laugh because they don't have it, and we will see how bad the situation can be. I sincerely hope it doesn't happen, but who knows? Cities are empty, people are dying, hospitals are full, and if there are people who are kinda forced to go to work risking their health, there are some who are forced to stay closed and slowly losing all the money. It's f*****g madness, and you're asking for clues? Come here if you dare, and see with you bare eyes how a country can be destroyed in 2 weeks by a silent killer.
Working at home was just an example. And that "here" was referring to experience. Anyway, here you are. According to the statement of the 13th March, in Korea the numbers are these: 248,647 tested, 7,979 infected, 510 recovered, 67 deaths. These numbers are growing every day, with the number of confirmed infected growing by more than 100 a day. *Note: the reason I'm giving you numbers for the Korean situation is because that's where I am. As for Italy, my friend from Milan's province is in touch with her family every day and if you want the numbers, just ask and I'll get it to you. The problem here is the speed of the virus spreading.
oopsies guess I was super wrong about this yall, sorry.
Those aren't "facts". These are facts: 1. The US GDP is decreasing by 24% due to a virus that is fatal less than 3.4% of the time (>1% under 50). The world economy is set to lose over $1 trillion dollars. 2. 67% of Italians between 18-34 live with their parents. Only 35% in the US do. Not every county has a similar cultural safety net. The US economy is designed to rely on companies for benefits. When they are forced to stop working, they literally have no way of sustaining themselves and can easily end up homeless. For other age groups, CareerBuilder found that 78% of U.S. workers are living paycheck to paycheck. Checks stop? So do they. 3. By the end of this mania, 3.5 million jobs could be lost. Those most likely to lose them are: a) members of the brokest generation (Millennials); b) Hourly employees who work in service roles. 58% of this demographic has less than $5,000 in savings, and the average networth is only $8,000. They're literally screwed.
I too work am fortunate enough to work from home. But I also care about the repercussions of catastrophizing everything. Sources: 1.https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/16/millions-of-americans-could-lose-their-jobs-in-a-coronavirus-recession.html 2.https://www.businessinsider.com/average-american-millennial-net-worth-student-loan-debt-savings-habits-2019-6 3.https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/analysts-slash-gdp-estimates-as-coronavirus-ripples-through-economy-11584735139 4.https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/16/lower-coronavirus-death-rate-estimates/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/19/unemployment-insurance-today-coronavir 5.https://www.thelocal.it/20181218/two-thirds-of-young-italians-are-still-living-with-their-parents 6.https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/24/479327382/for-first-time-in-130-years-more-young-adults-live-with-parents-than-partners 7.https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/01/11/live-paycheck-to-paycheck-government-shutdown/#539754294f10
yoa yes
stephanie-casadaban love
teefan ?
I normally don't post on here, but as someone with a background in epidemiology, I thought my thoughts might help. In looking at the numbers, please don't forget that there are likely hundreds of people in this country who have coronavirus without realizing it due to milder symptoms. For instance in KS an elderly man with existing respiratory conditions died in a nursing home but so far is only one of 4 confirmed cases in KS, and the other 3 cases never were in contact with the 4th patient. They self-isolated and to date, public health officials in the state have not found that they transmitted the virus to anyone else. Who gave the elderly man the virus since he couldn't leave? Someone who had the virus, didn't know it, and visited his nursing home, because the virus didn't present in a severe manner for them. If we actually knew the true extent of the cases in the US that fatality rate would most likely drop to the levels we're used to seeing in other flu strains. Panic doesn't help.
Flattening the curve certainly helps; that's something Italy was not able to do, and it certainly was one of the largest factors in overloading their public health infrastructure. That's why responsible social distancing, hand-washing, and self-isolation measures if you think you're sick, are useful and will continue to make sure our hospitals are not overloaded with cases to the point where that fatality rate increases solely because of hospital logistics.
I think everybody knows that the official numbers in the US and UK (and Italy) are underestimates of the true spread and that the real death rate is lower. However normal flu does not overwhelm hospitals like we're seeing here, and without hospital treatment there would be many more people dying. Not to mention that vunerable people can get flu shots and that's not an option here. Panic doesn't help but neither does business as usual. Sensible, consistant actions to limit transmission, taken by everybody, does.
I live in Italy. What you say is very dangerous. Panic doesn't help, neither is saying that this is just a flu. It can cause a severe condition and it's heavily contagious. We have a public health care system in Italy, our sick leaves are paid with virtually no limitation. It's not the same in the USA. This could be worse if it spreads in the USA. Listen to what this woman says in the post, she is RIGHT.
"there are likely hundreds of people in this country who have coronavirus without realizing it" Since I understand that you are talking about the USA, I would say that there are probably already thousands, or even tens of thousands of people infected. Social Distancing (even between family members at home!) and Clean Hands are crucial. Personal Responsibility is key! It is not about ME. It is about protecting me so that I do not infect you - and then your granny dies from it.
I've seen people die of the SAME respiratory collapse from influenza back in the medical school/student days. It's the same populations at risk as are at risk for coronavirus. The PANIC is different --- we lose $, productivity, etc., to flu EVERY Year. I'm downvoted constantly, but that's facts. We see outdoor triage, etc., in the US every year from *FLU* (2009 H1N1 particularly). This isn't special to Italy, and I'm not going to be told I don't "know". My husband has lymphoma. He gets the flu, he dies. He gets acold, he can die. He gets Covid, he dies. And I've seen people die of "everyday" FLU, so yes, I take it seriously, I'm not in denial, I'm just NOT IN PANIC.
What you are saying doesn't change anything, allow it to continue spreading, and even if it's a small percentage that die it will wreak the some destruction as in Italy. Italy where for infected people over the age of 70 the mortality is now greater than 1 in 4....just think about that for a second.
Seasonal flu typically has a fatality rate of less than 0.1% some more severe flues get up to maybe 0.2%. At the time of writing about 40 Americans have died from coronavirus. If the coronavirus has that low fatality rate wouldn't that suggest we might be looking at 20 000 to 40 000 cases in the US already?
Unfortunately, the US government officials are not taking the virus seriously. We are not able to get tested unless we have had contact with someone who has the virus... but we don't know who has the virus because no one is being tested!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hey lets not forget that KS has also already had 48 deaths from the FLU! But they never called a state of the emergency for those people. Only when 1 person dies from C-19 is there a real problem? People are seriously crazy over this. Soon enough there will be a vaccine that will save the planet. But as with all infection diseases and illnesses there are and will be many who perish even with a vaccine. So really all this panic and fear the media has instilled in everyone's hearts is working for someone's agenda!
The facts: Yes, most people who get it don't show symptoms. But also: 10% need ICU care. And: Because NOBODY is vaccinated, and the 2 week period of no symptoms, it spreads much more easily than seasonal flu. It will spread - it's only a matter of time. But if we can slow down that spread, then we have a chance of not overwhelming the health care system. It would be good if doctors could still perform surgeries, cancer patients could still get their chemo, and people could still go see their doctor about that lump that's appeared... right? So no, don't panic. Buy groceries when you need to. Don't buy out all the masks and antibacterial soap. But stay 1m away from everyone when possible, stop hugging your friends, wash your hands often and properly, try not to touch your mouth or eyes, avoid big events & crowds at all costs, and try to go out less. Switch meetings to zoom. Just be prudent, all right? What possible risk is there in deciding to be prudent?