The night that Codogno will never forget

CODOGNO, Italy

Two years have passed since the night in February when Europe’s first coronavirus case was confirmed at a hospital in the small Italian town of Codogno.

Immediately after, dozens of positive cases were detected in the area.

The inhabitants of Codogno, located 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Milan, along with those of 10 neighboring towns were the first to be locked down. Nearly 50,000 people were prohibited from venturing outside the so-called “zona rossa” (red zone) and were only allowed outdoors to go to the pharmacy to purchase medicine or to food shops.

“For me, it is still difficult to recall those moments. That night, I received a call from the prefect of Lodi announcing the first case of the coronavirus in the city hospital,” said Codogno mayor Francesco Passerini.

“In the very first moments, I was like frozen. Then I spent all night talking on the phone with top regional and national health authorities, members of parliament, doctors, nurses, and civil protection officials. It was the most nefarious time from all points of view our community experienced. COVID tracking procedures did not exist. Swab tests were reserved for those who were hospitalized. The positive rate was 100%,” said Passerini.

“In the nearly three months from Feb. 21 until May 8, the date on which the holding of funerals started again, 242 people died, when usually the death toll is 120. Only in March 2020, 156 people died -- the highest number of deaths ever registered, not even during the world wars. We had to use churches as a morgue to store coffins.”

Dr. Enrico Storti, at that time the head of the emergency department and intensive care units (ICUs) at the hospitals in Lodi and Codogno recalled these moments.

“When a 38-year-old patient -- Mattia Maestri -- showed up at the hospital with severe bilateral pneumonitis, we started to identify the cause of that illness. We performed a swab test, which was positive. So we immediately got the point that we were facing a very delicate and unusual situation,” said Storti.

“There was a huge gap between the number of patients with severe clinical conditions and the number of physicians working at the hospital in Codogno. In fact, that day, in 18 hours, five more patients showed up presenting huge pneumonitis. The three main hospitals in the area -- Lodi, Codogno, and Cremona -- were massively involved. We hospitalized patients with critical care dependency in waves.”

After a pick-up in cases was registered in January this year, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the whole area is going down. The strength of the fourth wave is weakening. From November 2021 until now, 32,000 cases have been detected and 110 people have died, but the number of daily cases is falling day by day. In the area of Lodi on Sunday, only 115 people tested positive for the virus.

“The vaccination campaign was very successful in Codogno since 87% of the population of our community has been double jabbed. I wonder if, without the vaccines, it would have come to have such a reduced impact from the contagion this year?” said Passerini.

Storti said, “80% of the patients who recovered in our ICU are not vaccinated, while only 20% are vaccinated.”

“The circulation of the virus is now lower than a few weeks ago, and the more we are approaching spring, the more the virus reduces its activity. I’m sure that in the near future, we’ll experience new waves. But the fact that a very consistent part of the population is vaccinated will be important to contain the virus’s consequences in the near future.”

Italy’s government has recently relaxed health measures and the people of Codogno have finally returned to the streets. Bars are crowded, people have gone back to work, shops are open to all customers displaying their Green Pass at the door, and the weekly outdoor market is full of people purchasing all sorts of goods.

Passerini is convinced that his community can celebrate the end of COVID.

“I can’t wait to organize a town party at which all members of our community can gather and celebrate together the liberation from COVID, hugging each other as much as they can without wearing masks. The municipal council has already allocated the budget.”