Italy still currently has the highest reported fatality rate in the world, at 12.7 percent. And that death toll is widely thought to be even higher than officially reported. In comparison, Germany has a recorded fatality rate of two percent. Yet both countries have similar levels of infection rates. Italy has 143,626 confirmed coronavirus cases; Germany has 114,257.

Italy’s disproportionately higher death toll with similar infection and testing rates compared to a country like Germany raises crucial questions on how and why COVID-19 affects some countries more than others.