"Italy Ready to Follow Korea"…Italy Launches Research Team for Korean Response Model (Update)

Italy Nears 50,000 COVID-19 Cases
Walter Ricciardi, Advisor to Italy's Ministry of Health
"The More I See the Graph Curve, the More Confident I Am in the Korean Model"

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Italy, where the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is approaching 50,000, has officially begun studying the Korean response model.

Walter Ricciardi, an advisor to the Italian Ministry of Health, revealed in an interview with the local media La Repubblica published on the 21st (local time) that a study group has been launched to examine the detailed methods of the Korean response model. This means that a government-level research team, not just a private sector initiative, has been formed.

Ricciardi, who is also a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) board, said, "In recent days, I have been comparing and analyzing COVID-19 related graphics from Italy and Korea. The more I look, the more convinced I am that we must follow Korea's response strategy," and emphasized, "I will seek the health minister's approval and propose that Italy adopt this as well." If the Korean model is applied, it is expected to cover the entire country of Italy, not just some or specific regions.

Korea quickly traced people who had contact with infected individuals and those with mild symptoms to conduct virus testing. Those who tested positive were immediately self-isolated or hospitalized depending on the severity of their symptoms to minimize further spread.

For epidemiological investigations tracing contacts, all available data were utilized, including medical data held by the National Health Insurance Service, smartphone location tracking, credit card usage records, and CCTV footage. Through a mobile phone app, the movement paths of newly confirmed cases were identified and disclosed, allowing people who had been in the same locations to voluntarily get tested.

As of this date, Italy's cumulative confirmed cases stand at 47,021, which is five times that of Korea (8,799), and the cumulative death toll is 4,032, which is a staggering 40 times higher. The total number of tests conducted is also 1.6 times higher in Korea, with 327,509 tests compared to Italy's 206,886.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.