Lombardy, the wealthiest and most populous region in Italy, reported its first case of coronavirus on Feb. 21 a short distance from Milan — Italy’s financial capital. A month later, Lombardy had become the single deadliest coronavirus hotspot on the planet. On March 22, the number of deaths there reached 3,456, eclipsing the number of people who have died from the virus in Hubei - the Chinese province where the virus first emerged at the end of last year.
After Lombardy detected its first case, others soon came to light. The government moved quickly to seal off a cluster of 10 towns at the epicentre of the outbreak, hoping the lockdown would contain the flare-up. It didn’t. The disease spread rapidly to nearby communities. By March 24, Lombardy had recorded 4,178 deaths, 61% of the national tally, while the number of confirmed cases totalled 30,703 — 44% of all known infections in Italy. By contrast, all of China had registered 3,277 deaths by March 23.