In March 2020, Italy's public services battled against the coronavirus. In Bergamo, cemeteries could no longer handle the number of dead. 'If they're Covid deaths, we don't dress them. We take them as they are and we put them in the crate', said one mortician. Medics said that for hospitals, this was 'wartime'. Professor Guiseppe Remuzzi explained why, despite having a world-class healthcare system, Italian hospitals were struggling. 'First of all, because there's too much demand. The hospital can absorb 10 to 20 serious patients a day. But when 50 people every day need intensive therapy, no one can follow up. The hospital is known as a source of contagion', says Remuzzi. Vaccine roll-outs have brought hope - but the battle against the pandemic is still ongoing worldwide.