The clash between palliative care and COVID-19

Excerpt

After coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China, Italy was the first western country to be seriously affected by COVID-19 [1]. The other European countries have been involved with a certain delay. Escalating numbers of deaths have been reported elsewhere, particularly in USA and Brazil, and are expected to increase in many undeveloped countries. As a consequence, governments have adopted severe measures of social distancing. In Italy, a complete lockdown was announced on 9th of March and was discontinued on 3rd of May, when some activities were progressively allowed until the end of May, when almost all activities restarted. Social distancing is still recommended in closed environments, but uncontrollable events with numerous people are forbidden (for example, theaters, congresses, stadium). Other countries followed different policies in terms of timing and levels of lockdown. This dramatic social change was associated with incalculable direct and indirect economic damages and a collective psychological distress, rarely seen outside war time. However, as a consequence of the forced social distancing adopted from March to May, at the end of July in Italy, there was a flattened curve in the number of infected, healed, and deceased subjects, in comparison with other countries. …