In early 2020, the world watched as a terrifying new virus arrived in Italy and brought the country to its knees. Images of vacant streets, doctors in head-to-toe protective gear and stacked body bags flooded the nightly news, serving as a warning of what awaited the rest of us.

By the time COVID-19 hit the United States in full force, the lessons from Italy were becoming painfully clear, pushing states, including Texas, to more quickly institute lockdowns, start testing and surveillance and try to equip health care providers as best as possible.