“High fever and dry cough, these were the first symptoms – go on – . Then during hospitalization, at the Infectious Diseases Department of the Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza, I had severe respiratory crises, which actually destroyed me physically, until I was given an experimental drug on March 17. Already after 48 hours I started to feel better“. It is about Tocilizumab, indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and that the GOM of Reggio Calabria has been using for its patients since 2011. La Roche (manufacturer of the drug), has undertaken to provide Tocilizumab free of charge to various Calabrian hospital companies for the emergency period.
“I have had thousands of calls and messages, many have called me. I am also president of a football team, so I have been contacted by many sports clubs and men – continues Filippo -. I invite all the Calabrians to stay at home, to avoid contact and risk infecting each other. In recent weeks I have unfortunately understood that someone still does not feel the danger. Coronavirus is not a simple flu, it does not only kill the elderly, every day in the North we learn sadly about the death of doctors and nurses who fight on the front lines. Fortunately, there has never been an emergency in Calabria, the Calabrians have been good at keeping infection rates low, but this does not mean that we need to let our guard down. Better to make an extra month of sacrifice now, to stay more relaxed afterwards. I say this not because the medical staff in Calabria is not trained, on the contrary it is the opposite, but because there are no services and safeguards for operators“.
“My family obviously also had to take the swab test. My wife, mother, dad and brother had to be checked before I could go home – goes on -. The request lasted several days because initially there were no swabs, subsequently the Cosenza health company informs us that operators cannot go out to make swabs at people’s homes because they do not have protective suits and glasses. My family therefore personally made a donation so that they could carry out the swabs that day“.
“Today we understand that it is not important to see Cristiano Ronaldo scoring, it is not important to listen to a singer perform live, because the real angels are the doctors and nurses, all those who work around the hospitals and fight this situation every day. These people enter the rooms where the positive patients are hospitalized, endangering their health and sustaining grueling working hours, so I applaud all of them. These people should receive millions of euros every year and not Serie A players “, concludes Filippo.
