Overcrowded Italian Hospital Treats COVID-19 Patients In Their Cars

People with suspected cases of Coronavirus were treated with emergency oxygen inside their cars while waiting to be admitted into an overcrowded hospital in the southern Italian city of Naples over the weekend.

A row of vehicles outside the Cotugno hospital proved a particularly distressing sight for people who had rushed to the hospital on Saturday and Sunday displaying symptoms of the virus.

Marta Cattaneo, spokesperson for the Cotungo hospital told CNN that the lines were nearly “back to normal” on Wednesday. She added that the hospital’s coronavirus unit, which comprises of 290 beds, including 28 for intensive care and 56 for sub-intensive care patients, remained completely full.

Maurizio Di Mauro, the hospital’s director attributed the long lines outside the hospital over the weekend to the fact that people can’t access their general doctors during that time and that a rise in cases across the country had instilled a certain amount of fear in the general population.

“People are scared,” he said. “At the first cough they rush to the hospital, especially over the weekend when they feel lonelier and their GPs are not available.”

Last Wednesday, facing a surge of infections across the country, Italy’s government announced that four regions would become Coronavirus “red zones,” areas where the harshest restrictive measures would be enacted. In those regions, people may only leave home for necessities, health or work.

Seven other regions were also designated “orange zones,” banning people from leaving their towns except for work or health reasons. In those area, bars and restaurants have been closed except for delivery and takeout.

The region of Campania, where Naples is located, has been given the less-restrictive designation of “yellow zone.”

But in order to fully counter a spike in infections, Di Mauro said that nationwide restrictions should be applied.

“It’s the only way not to vanish the incredible effort that the health workers are doing,” he said.