Post-partum Coronavirus Disease 19 Like Pneumonia Before the COVID-19 Italian Pandemic Outbreak: A Case Report

Here we present a case of severe post-partum pneumonia that we observed at the end of January 2020. Specimen of blood was cultured and revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia. However, the course of infection was atypical and the recovery time particularly long. Subsequently emerged COVID-19 hallmarks suggested to re-evaluate the case. After a multidisciplinary consultation, we concluded that, considering the clinical and imaging characteristics, the most likely hypothesis was that the patient was affected by novel Coronavirus pneumonia. The present case supports the hypothesis that Coronavirus might have circulated in northern Italy for weeks before its official detection.

Automated summary

This case reported a severe post-partum pneumonia with Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia, which showed COVID-19 hallmarks during recovery, leading to a conclusion of novel Coronavirus pneumonia. It supports the hypothesis that Coronavirus may have circulated in northern Italy before its official detection.