Annalisa Malara marked an anniversary with a difference over the weekend. One year ago, the young doctor was working at Codogno hospital when she asked to see a patient gasping for air. This encounter would save the man’s life, put the world on high alert and radically alter Malara’s career.The patient, now known as Mattia Maestri, was an athletic 38-year-old who had come to the emergency department on February 18 with fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
“In the beginning we didn’t know anything about the virus. I was very scared because I thought I could die but at the same time I had to continue to work and treat that patient. That was my priority, because he could die too.” The decision to ignore the testing rules would later win her and Ricevuti the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic - Italy’s highest honour. But in the immediate wake of the positive test, Malara felt pressure.
BevanShields Even Italy's medical professions aren't immune to mafia.