In Italy, the first case of Covid-19 was hospitalized in Codogno in Lombardy, making the region the first European focus.

A year later, a memorial in memory of the victims was inaugurated there this Sunday.

The residents told us how the epidemic marked them forever.

REPORT

In the corridors of the small hospital in Codogno, Italy, its director, Doctor Andrea Filippin, points to a room.

It is in this service in the city of Lombardy that the very first Italian case of coronavirus was hospitalized in intensive care.

A patient who marks the beginning of the first wave in Italy, a year ago, in February 2020. The tsunami of the epidemic then swept across Europe, killing more than 500,000 people in twelve months in the countries of the EU.

>>

LIVE

- Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Sunday February 21 

"After the first patient, hundreds arrived"

"For us, it was a shock. We realized that we were suddenly the epicenter of the contamination, because right after the patient, hundreds arrived," recalls this doctor from Codogno.

"But a year later, we got away with it," he said.

On the floor below, the emergencies are no longer overwhelmed.

There are only a few cases left in Codogno and in the waiting rooms and now, people mainly come to be vaccinated.

A memorial inaugurated

But the inhabitants here are forever marked.

In front of the hospital, Edmundo came with a small group to meditate on this symbolic date.

A year later, this retiree remembers "the sirens of the ambulances, then the silence of a church when we saw the coffins stored in the church, forbidden to do a funeral. It is to remember me that I am here. "

CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS

> Are private parties really prohibited with the curfew?

> Coronavirus: a universal vaccine available "towards the end of the year"

> The English variant would cause slightly different symptoms

> Audio, webcams ... When technology adapts to teleworking

> Containment is good for the planet

A few streets further on, in front of the premises of the Red Cross of Codogno, a memorial has been built.

It is inaugurated this Sunday, to never forget the sacrifice of caregivers and pay tribute to the first victims in Italy.