How did Mattia Maestri, 38, get the coronavirus? This resident of Codogno, employee of the American multinational Unilever in the neighboring commune, Casalpusterlengo, is the one through whom the epidemic suddenly spread throughout the Lombard region.
He contaminated a friend with whom he plays soccer, three regulars at a local bar he frequented, but also doctors and patients from the Codogno hospital where he was admitted until Saturday. The case of this "patient 1", as the health authorities call it, remains a mystery.
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It is now out of the question that he was infected by one of his friends who returned from China in January. "On the basis of the tests carried out, the latter did not develop the antibodies," said Italian Deputy Minister of Health, Pierpaolo Sileri. It remains to find the "patient zero", the one who started it all. Several hypotheses are being studied by the authorities, which have so far declined to give details.
Known as a seasoned sportsman, Mattia Maestri and his wife, Valentina, 8 months pregnant that he was unfortunately infected, are both active members of the local running club, Gruppo Podistico Codogno 82, and big fans of marathon. He is now in intensive care in a medical establishment in Pavia, and she was transferred to a hospital in Milan.