Authors: Matteo Maria Cati.
The effects of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, at the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, on the Italian older population were devastating, giving rise to what seems to be a paradox. The number of victims among the elderly population was higher in the more developed northern regions, where the local health authorities (L.H.A.s) and, in particular, the long-term care (L.T.C.) sector are known to be more efficient with respect to those of the other regions. The focus of this article is twofold: on the one hand, it tries to find a plausible answer to the relevant question ‘why was the number of victims, particularly among the older population, in the northern regions so high in Italy?’ In doing so, it highlights the need for a multiple factor analysis that simultaneously takes different elements into consideration, such as the demographic, territorial and economic characteristics of the areas in Italy most affected by the pandemic, while examining whether the health policies implemented by the Ministry of Health in Italy were the most appropriate. On the other hand, it sheds light on the fact that only a few pieces of information and data on the number of victims in the L.T.C. sector in Italy are available, with few exceptions such as the Northern region Friuli Venezia Giulia, and that more data collection and research is also needed regarding other factors, such as environmental factors, that might have worsened the impact of the pandemic in Italy on the older population.
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