SARS-COV-2 INFECTION IN ITALY: ITS PROGRESSION FROM FEBRUARY TO MAY 2020

At the end of 2019 in China, a severe infection was reported from the city of Wuhan, caused by a new type of coronavirus, termed SARS CoV-2. At the beginning, the measures to adopt for the infection containment were not clear and the intense trade and tourism exchanges from and to China leaded the SARS CoV-2 virus spreading across several countries in the world by January 2020. Italy has been one of the first European countries to be affected. Using the official data from the Italian Civil Protection Department, here it was compared the SARS-CoV-2 spreading in two Italian regions: Lombardia and Campania. Lombardia was the first region to be affected and the progression of the infection was dramatic compared to Campania region, where the lockdown measures adopted by the Italian Government, closing all not-essential commercial activities, schools and requiring social distancing leaded to a reduction of the viral infection progression. The lockdown phase was overcome after about 50 days of emergency status. Analysis of data indicated 17-folds more infections and 39-folds more deaths by SARS-CoV-2 in Lombardia than in Campania region, respectively. At the end of lockdown phase (May 3)there was a flattening of the contagion curve in Campania more than in Lombardia, indicating that the lockdown and social distancing were the best remedy against the spread of the pandemic if actuated before the burst of infection.