Campania Coronavirus Update: De Luca’s Stern Warning and Defense Against Criticism

The Campania regional president, Vincenzo De Luca, delivered his regular Friday afternoon address on the coronavirus crisis via social media, addressing recent accusations of censorship and clarifying the region’s approach to the pandemic. He sharply criticized the media for disseminating inaccurate reports, emphasizing the need for responsible journalism. He quoted the Gospel of Luke, reminding his audience that praise from all quarters isn’t necessarily a sign of righteous action. De Luca explained the high number of recent positive cases, attributing it to targeted testing of direct and indirect contacts of confirmed infections, rather than widespread screenings. He contrasted this strategy with the more generic testing methods used earlier in the pandemic, insisting the current approach provides a more accurate picture, albeit a higher case count, facilitating better infection control. This targeted approach, however, necessitates a significant expansion of healthcare personnel, prompting requests for additional medical staff from the Civil Protection agency to manage the increased workload of contact tracing and isolation enforcement. He refuted claims of hospital bed shortages, clarifying the current occupancy rates and availability. Despite this, De Luca acknowledged the looming threat of rising case numbers and the approaching influenza season, highlighting the large percentage of asymptomatic cases currently prevalent, combined with increasing average patient age and school reopenings. He emphasized preparations for a potential surge in hospitalizations, outlining planned increases in intensive care and sub-intensive care capacity, ventilator acquisitions, and the ongoing influenza vaccination campaign. De Luca stressed the importance of preventing asymptomatic individuals from unnecessarily occupying hospital beds, emphasizing the need for adequate home isolation and alternative temporary housing where home isolation is impossible. He detailed minor concessions to local businesses, notably allowing bars to open slightly earlier, while warning that a daily case count reaching 1000 would necessitate a region-wide lockdown. He reiterated his commitment to making necessary decisions, not necessarily the most convenient ones, prioritizing the health and safety of citizens, urging personal responsibility. Finally, he addressed the controversy surrounding the Juventus-Napoli match, defending the regional health authority’s actions in accordance with legal guidelines, criticizing Juventus’s president for statements that disregarded these regulations, and condemning the lack of sportsmanship displayed during the dispute.