Usually when a business closes its doors it means that things arent going well. All the more so if a hospital ward is decommissioned. Instead, after a hard period, marked by hundreds of hospitalizations of patients with Covid-19, it is precisely the news of a closure that throws a ray of sunshine on an unusual Sundays in Lombardy. The Niguarda hospital in Milan since the beginning of the epidemic has been in the front line for the emergency. And finally, the medical staff announces good news: one of the five intensive care units reserved for Covid patients will close. It's no longer necessary. The twenty-seven beds inside are already empty. Once sanitized, the environment will be used to accommodate other types of hospitalizations. A "small big step" towards the hoped-for normality.
But the road is still long so that it goes back to like it was. But while thinking with apprehension about “Phase 2”, this unexpected Sunday has transmitted positivity to all of Italy. The news of the closure of the department has been published directly on the Niguarda Instagram profile. In the dedicated post there is a video lesson in which medical staff, nurses and health workers celebrate. And we read the thanks to all those who in the last fifty days have worked tirelessly, with a lot of dedication, professionalism, responsibility, sensitivity. Many comments of this tenor, accompanied by hearts and thumbs up. And again congratulations to all operators who have proved to be resilient, courageous and professional. Countless shares.
And on the same day ...
… From nearby Bergamo, still a breath of hope for the most hit region. And again it is a closure. For the first time in the last forty days the church of the cemetery is closing its doors to coffins waiting for burial or cremation. There are none. The mayor, Giorgio Gori, announced it with relief. The date collected in the past few days is encouraging. According to those about the unusual Sunday, April 19 there are about 66236 positive cases in Lombardy. There was a slight increase of 855 infected compared to the previous day. There were about 163 more deaths, out of a total of 12,213. The regional councilor for the Territory and Civil Protection, Peter Foroni, provided these data. Patients in Intensive Care Units dropped to 922 and 417 were released, while the swabs were 8824.
The important data are the 300 new hospitalizations in non-intensive care. The challenge is not yet won, it can still be long. For this reason, we must pay close attention and respect the current regulations because it takes very little to resume the negative trend: this is Foroni's comment.
Data concerning the regional health system affected since the beginning of the epidemic to date tell us that we can't let out guard down just yet. There are 185 doctors, nurses, technicians and other professional figures.
We trust that Sundays like these, in Lombardy as in all of Italy, will be fewer and less isolated. The same that we hope for each of us, after all.
