Acute events in children with sickle cell disease in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic: useful lessons learned

On March 12th 2021 the Italian Government decided to implement a national lockdown in almost all the regions of the country. It was the second most severe measure taken after the March 2020 national lockdown, due to the rising of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and the overcrowding of the hospitals. The first peak of 29 000 hospitalised individuals, including children, except those in intensive care units (ICUs) was recorded in April 2020. Most hospitals had to rapidly implement strategies to ensure care for non-COVID-19 patients. The majority of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) live in the Northern regions of Italy. Therefore, the dramatic scenario represented an opportunity to explore the challenges presented for children with SCD who lived in Italy during the first outbreak, so that the lessons learned could be used to guide clinical management in the upcoming months.