The
Lombardy outbreak came to light when a 38-year-old Italian tested positive in
Codogno, a
comune in the
province of Lodi. On 14 February, he felt unwell and went to a doctor in
Castiglione d'Adda. He was prescribed treatments for influenza.
[25] On 16 February, as the man's condition worsened, he went to Codogno Hospital, reporting respiratory problems.
[25] Initially there was no suspicion of COVID-19, so no additional precautionary measures were taken, and the virus was able to infect other patients and health workers.
[26] On 19 February, the wife of the patient revealed he had met an Italian friend who had returned from China on 21 January, who subsequently tested negative.
[25] Later, the patient, his pregnant wife and a friend tested positive.
[25] On 20 February, three more cases were confirmed after the patients reported symptoms of
pneumonia.
[27] Thereafter, extensive screenings and checks were performed on everyone that had possibly been in contact with or near the infected subjects.
[28] It has been subsequently reported that the origin of these cases has a possible connection to the first European local transmission that occurred in
Munich, Germany, on 19 January 2020, consistent with phylogenetic analysis of viral genome.
[29][30][31] The 38-year-old man was asymptomatic for weeks, reportedly led an active social life and potentially interacted with dozens of people before spreading the virus at Codogno Hospital.[25][26] Afterward, he was transferred to
Policlinico San Matteo in
Pavia,
[32] and his wife to
Sacco Hospital in Milan.
[33][34]
Protezione Civile volunteers carrying out health checks at
Guglielmo Marconi Airport
On 21 February, 16 more cases were confirmed – 14 in
Lombardy, including the doctor who prescribed treatments to the 38-year-old Codogno man,
[25] and two in
Veneto. On 22 February, a 77-year-old woman from
Casalpusterlengo, who suffered from pneumonia and visited the same emergency room as the 38-year-old from Codogno, died in Lombardy.
[35] Including the 78-year-old man who died in Veneto, the number of cases in Italy rose to 79.
[5][36] Of the 76 newly discovered cases, 54 were found in Lombardy, including one patient in
San Raffaele Hospital in Milan
[37] and eight patients in
Policlinico San Matteo in
Pavia,
[38] 17 in Veneto, two in
Emilia-Romagna, two in
Lazio and one in
Piedmont.
[39]