Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is rapidly spreading worldwide, and WHO declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
The outbreak has hit Europe; as of March 20, 2020, Italy has the second-largest number of confirmed cases, after China. As elegantly presented by Andrea Remuzzi and Giuseppe Remuzzi, a rapid surge of cases is posing a serious threat to the Italian national health system because of the limited capacity of intensive care unit departments.