- Title: Italy's healthcare system struggling through coronavirus outbreak
- Date: 13th March 2020
- Summary: BRESCIA, ITALY (MARCH 13, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ELDERLY FEMALE PATIENT LYING IN BED COVERED WITH BLANKET PATIENTS LYING IN BEDS ONE METRE APART WOMAN SITTING ON BED WITH OTHER PATIENTS LYING BEHIND HER WOMAN WITH HAND OVER EYES LYING IN BED PATIENTS LYING IN BEDS MEDICAL STAFF CLEANING BED MEDICAL STAFF TREATING PATIENT VARIOUS OF PATIENTS LYING IN BEDS EXTERIOR OF BUILDING MEDICAL STAFF WALKING WITH SUSPECTED CORONAVIRUS PATIENT NURSE ALBERTO POINELLI OUTSIDE TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NURSE ALBERTO POINELLI, SAYING: "In that room there are all the people who waiting to see the results of the tests which are not as quick as you would imagine. There are other patients who are of low risk who need to be observed for a limited amount of time, it is a brief period of observation." MEDICAL STAFF STOPPING AMBULANCE MEDICAL STAFF WALKING UP TO AMBULANCE VARIOUS OF PATIENT INSIDE AMBULANCE ON BREATHING APPARATUS AMBULANCE DRIVING IN NURSE OUTSIDE BUILDING TRIAGE TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NURSE ALBERTO POINELLI, SAYING: "I have to say the hospital is reacting really well, the Spedali hospital, maybe because of experience is also responding well to our requests (from the medical team) we are almost at the same level as an emergency ward. We are part of the Spedali hospital of Brescia, and we are part of the emergency ward. We are really a pre-filter for the emergency ward." NURSE HOLDING UP A SWAB VIEW OF SWAB VARIOUS OF NURSING STAFF INSIDE TRIAGE TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NURSE ALBERTO POINELLI, SAYING: "The principal problem is the fear of the patient who comes to us. Firstly because they find themselves not inside a traditional hospital building, a tent just doesn't give them reassurance. Then, obviously, if they are diagnosed with a positive test, in the light of this we have to really calm the patients down and we have to explain what will happen to them afterwards." POSSIBLE CORONAVIRUS CASE WEARING MASK ESCORTED BY NURSE NURSE WALKING OUTSIDE BUILDING NURSE WALKING NURSES TALKING TO PATIENT SITTING DOWN MEDICAL STAFF DRESSING IN PROTECTIVE GEAR NURSE WALKING TOWARDS BOARD AND WRITING WOMAN WEARING MASK WALKING INTO HOSPITAL (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NURSE ALBERTO POINELLI, SAYING: "In the Spedali hospital in Brescia we re-opened two floors, they re-opened whole wings that they had "closed" for reconstruction but they had to re-open in order to deal with the situation, so clearly the situation is really serious." SIGN SAYING: "Entrance to radiology" VARIOUS OF NURSE USING COMPUTER VARIOUS OF MEDICAL STAFF TAKING OFF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND WASHING HANDS WITH DISINFECTANT NURSE WAITING AT CHECKPOINT ENTRANCE TO HOSPITAL RAINBOW FLAG READING: "It will be ok"
- Embargoed: 27th March 2020 14:40
- Keywords: Brescia hospital Coronavirus outbreak coronavirus suspected cases tents
- Location: BRESCIA, ITALY
- City: BRESCIA, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVA001C4VZ0HZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: CONTAINS GRAPHIC MATERIAL
Patients lay one metre away from each other in a huge building standing outside the Spedali Civili hospital in northern Italy on Friday (March 13); they have almost certainly been infected with the coronavirus.
An elderly lady stretches out her hand to a nurse, others lay motionless under space blankets. Medical staff in protective clothing roam around the room to the sound of coughing.
Italy is now the worst-affected country in the world after China, with 1,016 dead and 15,113 confirmed cases since the coronavirus contagion came to light there on Feb. 21.
Hospitals in the northern Lombardy region of Italy have borne the brunt of the contagion, they are running out of space and equipment and staff have not rested in weeks.
"In that room there are all the people who waiting to see the results of the tests which are not as quick as you would imagine," Nurse Alberto Poinelli said speaking through his mask.
"There are other patients who are of low risk who need to be observed for a limited amount of time, it is a brief period of observation," he said.
The hospital will not give numbers of patients treated, these come out through the regional authorities every evening. But at least fifteen people could be seen on camp beds in the structure.
Some cases arrived by foot, wearing masks, they are greeted at the checkpoint entrance of the hotel and guided in for tests by medical staff wearing protective gear.
Other more serious cases are brought in by ambulance.
Tents outside the Spedali Civili in Brescia were put up over a week ago in order to cope with the constant stream of people, feeling sick and believing they have contracted the virus.
"We are really a pre-filter for the emergency ward," Poinelli said.
The most difficult problem, Poinelli explained was explaining to patients that they had contracted the virus.
"The principal problem is the fear of the patient who comes to us," he said.
"Firstly because they find themselves not inside a traditional hospital building, a tent just doesn't give them reassurance. Then, obviously, if they are diagnosed with a positive test, in the light of this we have to really calm the patients down and we have to explain what will happen to them afterwards," he said.
The hospital at Brescia has had to open two wings that had been closed for reconstruction in order to deal with the number of patients arriving for treatment.
As a nurse in protective clothing waited at the checkpoint entrance to process the next case, a rainbow banner fluttered in the wind, with the words "It will be ok"
(Production: Alex Fraser, Eleanor Biles)
(Production: Alex Fraser, Oriana Boselli, Eleanor Biles) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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