After testing positive for COVID-19, an Italian intensive care nurse has taken her own life because she was afraid that unintentionally she had infected others.
Italy can't stop mourning for its dead. The Nursing federation confirmed that Daniela Trezzi, 34, involved in treating coronavirus, attempted suicide when she was tested positive for COVID-19.
She was working in the intensive care unit of San Gerardo of Monza Hospital, in Lombardy, one of the hardest-hit areas of Italy. When she discovered that she was infected, Daniela couldn't deal with her guilt coming from the fear that she might have spread the disease to her colleagues.
Last Tuesday, the National Federation of Nurses of Italy announced that Trezzi had taken her own life this past Sunday. Trezzi had reportedly informed a colleague that she was scared and concerned that she had infected somebody with the virus.
In a press statement, the federation stated:
"We express our pain and consternation over the suicide of our young colleague. Our 450,000 professionals will join together around the relatives and family of Daniela."
More than 5,000 medical workers have been infected so far in Italy, and the unions warn that it's now, more urgent than ever, for more protective equipment. Masks, gloves, protective uniforms are not available for all the health workers, and this leads them to be infected. Nearly 30 doctors have died after contracting coronavirus.
Furthermore, Daniela wasn't the only one who committed suicide; a similar incident happened a week ago in Venice, as stated by the National Federation of Nurses in Italy.
Italy remains among the worst affected nations. As of yesterday, Monday the 30th of March, the country saw almost 101,739 cases of coronavirus and 11,591 deaths. Nonetheless, the Italian Civil Protection Agency, which is in charge of assembling the data, considers that the infections could be as high as 700,000. Agency chief Angelo Borrelli told La Repubblica newspaper that "a ratio of one certified case out of every 10 is credible."
During these past weeks, medics are also burdened with the terrible responsibility of choosing which patients live or die due to the lack of ventilators and hospital beds. Meanwhile, at least 18 doctors have succumbed to CoViD-19 in Italy alone.
Since the outbreak of coronavirus, aid and medical experts have also arrived in Italy from China, Cuba, Russia, and the United States in a sort of geopolitical tug-of-war over who can provide the most aid to the struggling Mediterranean nation.
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