Thread by @saradannerdukic

I spent some time watching Italian TV last night, and also chatting with one of my girlfriends over there, to get a sense of how they’re feeling/what’s being said. Here were my main takeaways (link to program I watched at end of thread).

1. They are combatting the same disinformation we are, and it has taken a toll. Throughout the program they repeated “this is not just the flu.”

2. Young people in particular were still going out and gathering in large groups. They pleaded with them as a group to stop this behavior.

👆WE IN THE US CAN LEARN THIS NOW, while there’s still a bit of time, or we can learn it later, when it’s too late: if you’re in an area that has advised social distancing (aka STAYING HOME), please think of someone other than yourself.

3. The situation is desperate. There aren’t enough ventilators. The host asked repeatedly how many there were left.

4. A guest made this point: the drain on resources isn’t just for those dealing with coronavirus. If, say, a young person is in an accident and needs emergency services, what happens when all those services are already at their limit with coronavirus?

5. The appeal was made over and over for everyone to do their civic duty and do what is asked.

6. They repeatedly reminded everyone that this is TEMPORARY. These inconveniences will not last forever.

Less than three weeks ago, Italy had fewer than 5 confirmed cases. Today, they have over 10,000.
nytimes.com/2020/02/23/wor…

We have 808 cases *that we know of.* We don’t really know what we’re up against, because we haven’t tested.
gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashbo…

In the press conference that Gov. DeWine held today, Dr. Amy Acton (DIR Ohio Dept of Health) referenced Italy many times. It was clear that they are closely watching what is happening there and trying to avoid that same fate.

They are taking this seriously, and so should we:

https://twitter.com/saradannerdukic/status/1237448898379120640?s=20

Here is one program I watched:

And here is another clip that I watched, where they were specifically appealing to young people to please not be cavalier and to stop going out.