Abstrakt

When unity is strength: No-profit foundation provides personal protective equipment during covid-19 pandemic in Italy

Alfredo Pece, Federica Fossataro

It was December 2019 when Wuhan, in China, became the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in two months the disease spread fast and uncontrolled throughout the world. On 20 February 2020 since the first official case of Covid-19 was recorded in Italy, measures were put in place immediately to contain the infection, starting with a lengthy lockdown, which helped block the explosive pandemic. In addition, people were obliged to keep ‘social distances’ from each other, to wear surgical-type facemasks, and to wash and disinfect hands frequently. Countries everywhere were taken by surprise and this explains the initial difficulties in the supply of personal protective equipment. In Italy, despite the precise procedures for prevention that were swiftly put into practice, for several weeks it was almost impossible to find personal protective equipment. Health workers, who were more exposed to the virus than the rest of the population, found themselves for several weeks without the P2 and P3 masks they needed, suffering heavily. The Fondazione RETINA 3000, a no profit foundation, already took action in January 2020 to collect funds which were put to use with no burocratic delay, to purchase materials for Italian healthcare staff. In conclusion, during a period when social distance was mandatory, distance help and contribution from hundreds of people allowed Fondazione RETINA 3000 to give ophthalmologists and physicians in Italy valuable help showing how private structures and nonprofit foundations can work constructively to make essential supplies available even in extremely difficult circumstances.