Why is coronavirus so bad in Italy? How the outbreak caused a lockdown

10 March 2020, 08:52 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 08:56

Coronavirus Italy: Why has Italy got so many cases of coronavirus? And when did coronavirus start in Italy? Two theories suggest why the European country has had to go into lockdown.

Coronavirus in Italy has seen some of the worst confirmed cases outside of Wuhan in China, forcing the northern part of the country to go into lockdown.

The European country now has over 7,375 recorded cases of coronavirus with 366 deaths.

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So why has Italy got so many confirmed cases of coronavirus? And when did it all start?

Here’s everything you need to know about why COVID-19 is so bad in Italy:

Why has Italy got so many confirmed cases of coronavirus?

One theory is that scientists believe the virus, and potentially a different strain of COVID-19, was circulating in Italy weeks before the first cases were detected.

This is called the asymptomatic phase - meaning they showed no symptoms and were able to spread the virus.

A second theory of why Italy has coronavirus so bad is because they have a very old population which has lead to many more serious cases.

A professor of infectious diseases from Milan has stressed: “The vast majority of cases start mildly and cause few problems, especially in young people and certainly in children.”

When did coronavirus arrive in Italy?

Coronavirus started in Italy with three cases being confirmed in Lombardy on February 21.

By March 1, coronavirus had increased by 40per cent.

However, experts believe the virus was now in Italy at least three weeks before that.