Newsbrief: Why Italy has overtaken China in coronavirus deaths

by Jake Mott

Italy now has had more deaths from the coronavirus than China, and an article from ABC helps explain why.

Many commonalities for the Italian way of life puts the country at greater risk.

(Photo: ABC)

Italy’s culture emphasizes socialization, especially across generations. This makes it far easier for the virus to jump from a young person who may feel no effects, to an older person who could have more serious ones.

Another big factor is Italy’s age distribution, which features a much higher percentage of people over the age of 65 than many other countries like the United States. Older people are at a much higher risk of contracting and dying from the virus.

Since the virus attacks the respiratory system, smoking puts people at higher risk. This also works against Italy, as 21% of Italian adults smoke compared to only 14% in the U.S.

It’s important to understand that these and many other factors contribute to Italy being at higher risk for the virus. The apocalyptic photos and videos from Italy are not exactly a preview of things to come here at home, as differences between our culture and Italy’s will lead to different courses of action.

J1 Student Jake Mott volunteered to write this newsbrief out of a belief that FPU students deserve good journalism in this time of crisis.