TY - JOUR T1 - COVID-19 in Italy: passing through bitter waters JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/13993003.01812-2020 VL - 56 IS - 1 SP - 2001812 AU - Lorenzo Guglielmetti AU - Sheila Chiesi Y1 - 2020/07/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/56/1/2001812.abstract N2 - The catastrophic impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Italy has previously been described [1, 2]. In a recent editorial, Nava et al. [3] paid a well-deserved tribute to the almost 200 healthcare workers who succumbed to COVID-19 in the country in less than 3 months since the first case was reported. We would like to contribute with some considerations on the shortcomings of Italy's response to the pandemic.The COVID-19 epidemic in Italy has shown many shortcomings in the national healthcare system but it also represents a historic opportunity to reinforce central healthcare governance and reduce inequalities across the country https://bit.ly/3gaP9Qi ER -