While everyone in Italy is no doubt thankful that the feared “second wave” of contagion has not yet materialised, many are wondering why the country has been less affected while neighbouring France and Spain suffer higher numbers of infections, hospitalisations, and deaths. Italy is now seeing around 1,500 new cases daily, while France and Spain have each recently reported up to 10,000 cases in a day.

In terms of the percentage of the population affected, Spain has recorded 292.2 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days, while the figure was 172.1 in France, according to data analysis from the European Centre for Disease Protection and Control (ECDC). In Italy, the number of new cases as a percentage using this measure is just 33.