Doctors on the front line share what it’s like working in hospitals hit by the coronavirus epidemic.  

In an effort to express the severity of the situation one doctor in Bergamo took to social media, warning against complacency on his Facebook page. 

His emotional message describes the tireless efforts of medical staff in northern Italy, which he sees as unsustainable, as doctors and nurses work around the clock, with no slowing of patient admittance in sight.  

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“The war has literally exploded and battles are uninterrupted day and night.  But now that need for beds has arrived in all its drama. One after the other, the departments that had been emptied fill up at an impressive pace.  The boards with the names of the patients, of different colours depending on the operating unit, are now all red, and instead of surgery, you see the diagnosis, which is always the damned same: bilateral interstitial pneumonia.” - Dr. Daniele Macchini

He goes on to explain the exhaustion on his colleagues faces, and the shift in hospital duties, with operating theatres suspending their actions to become intensive care units with limited supplies.  The analysis of the coronavirus disease from a first hand account is dramatic. It should be noted that the WHO is stating that one-fifth of the people affected require hospital treatment. If infections continue, at this rate, the numbers are enough to completely overwhelm the medical system. 

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Dr. Macchini urges people to:

 “Be patient, you can’t go to the theatre, museums, or the gym….  We just try to make ourselves useful. You should do the same: we influence the life and death of a few dozen people.  You with yours, many more. Please share this message. We must spread the word to prevent what is happening here from happening all over Italy.”

The message here is clear: people must not panic, nor carelessly dismiss the scope and seriousness of what Italy is facing.

Dr. Macchini's post was originally translated on Twitter by Dr. Silvia Strighini, an epidemiologist based at the Geneva University's Institute of Global Health.  To see the full post click here