Italy honours COVID-19 victims on remembrance day, five years after pandemic hit

Italy marked remembrance day to commemorate its victims of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday.** 

On the same day, five years ago, military trucks carried the coffins of some of the first victims of the pandemic from the cemetery in Bergamo to other cities for cremation.

The image spread worldwide, conveying the gravity of what was happening in the region. Italy recorded over 196,000 deaths, becoming the first Western country to be hit by the pandemic, which caused tens of millions of deaths worldwide.

Today, those who survived the pandemic feel blessed as they recall their darkest memories. Sergio Monticelli is among them. He is more thankful than ever to the doctors who saved his life at San Camillo Hospital in Rome five years ago.

"I feel so emotional, as you can tell from my voice. Seeing Dr Magliacani and the whole team, knowing that I stayed here and then returned home. Others weren’t as fortunate," he told Euronews right after entering the hospital.

Monticelli has vivid memories of the day that changed everything for him. "As I was receiving treatment, one of the doctors told me I looked swollen," he recalled. "It was a sign that I had less oxygen, and by acting quickly, they saved my life."

Dr Vinicio Magliacani, who was part of the team that cared for Monticelli, compared the pandemic to a monster. "The most difficult part was seeing patients in pain," he told Euronews. "We saw people dying, begging for their hands to be held."

But not everyone has shown gratitude for their work, Dr.Magliacani noted. Unlike cancer survivors, he explained, many former COVID-19 patients prefer to put the experience behind them.

"Many, including some doctors, are in denial about the reality we faced," he said. "Society and institutions seem to have forgotten how crucial our role was."

Watch the report by Euronews correspondent Giorgia Orlandi in the player above.