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19 May 2020Europe underestimated the pandemic risk three days before the case of Codogno exploded: this is what emerges from the final document of the meeting of the delegates of the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) which took place in Sweden on 18 -19 February, viewed by Repubblica and El Paìs, in which the spread of Covid 19 on the continent is considered "under control" and occupies only 20 of the 130 final points. Less than 72 hours later, the patient comes from Codogno. The risks for the European population are considered low and all proposals for intervention are postponed two or three weeks later.

Austria and Slovakia - writes El Pais - underline the inconvenience of generating fear among the population and the Spanish director of health emergencies, Fernando Simon, warns against the risk of "stigmatizing" those who undergo diagnostic tests.

The virus was already spreading across Europe, but health systems had not detected it. The reason is that the diagnosis was closely related to travel to Wuhan. "No person with symptoms is tested. Not even patients admitted to intensive care with pneumonia of unknown origin," writes El Pais. The only voice out of the chorus then is the Danish representative. "It is important to know where and when to look for the virus," he says, referring to countries with more resources to test. "For example, in a case of severe pneumonia it would be logical to look for the virus," he explains. The Dutch representative explained on that occasion that he had commissioned a group of doctors to collect "sentinel samples" for analysis. The Danish representative has asked to be "proactive" and "prepared" for contagion in countries such as Japan and Vietnam. The truth, however, is that the criteria are not reviewed until February 25, four days after the first two deaths in Italy.