The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was particularly invasive in Italy during the period between March and late April 2020 then decreased in both in the number of infections and in the seriousness of the illness throughout the summer of 2020. In this discussion, we measure the severity of the disease by the ratio of Intensive Care Units (ICU) spaces occupied by COVID-19 patients and the number of Active Cases (AC) each month from April to October 2020. We also use the ratio of the number of Deaths (D) to the number of Active Cases. What clearly emerges, from rigorous statistical analysis, is a progressive decrease in both ratios until August, indicating progressive mitigation of the disease. This is particularly evident when comparing March-April with July-August; during the summer period the two ratios became roughly 18 times lower. We test such sharp decreases against possible bias in counting active cases and we confirm their statistical significance. We then interpret such evidence in terms of the well-known seasonality of the human immune system and the virus-inactivating effect of stronger UV rays in the summer. Both ratios, however, increased again in October as ICU/AC began to increase in September 2020. These ratios and the exponential growth of infections in October indicate that the virus - if not contained by strict measures - will lead to unsustainable challenges for the Italian health system in the winter of 2020-2021 .

Heart failure (HF) is a syndrome characterized by signs and symptoms resulting from structural or functional cardiac abnormalities, confirmed by elevated natriuretic peptides or evidence of congestion. HF patients are classified according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Worsening HF (WHF) is associated with increased short- and long-term mortality, re-hospitalization, and healthcare costs. Standard treatment of HF includes angioten-sin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors, mineralocorti-coid-receptor antagonists, beta-blockers, and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors. To manage systolic HF by reducing mortality and hospitalizations in patients experiencing WHF, treatment with vericiguat, a direct stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), is indicated. This drug acts by stimulating sGC enzymes, part of the nitric oxide (NO)-sGC-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling pathway, regulating the cardiovascular system by catalyzing cGMP synthesis in response to NO. cGMP acts as a second messenger, triggering various cellular effects. Deficiencies in cGMP production, often due to low NO availability, are implicated in cardiovascular diseases. Vericiguat stimulates sGC directly, bypassing the need for a functional NO-sGC-cGMP axis, thus preventing myocardial and vascular dysfunction associated with de-creased sGC activity in heart failure. Approved by the FDA in 2021, vericiguat administration should be considered, in addition to the four pillars of HFrEF therapy, in symptomatic patients with LVEF < 45% following a worsening event. Cardiac rehabilitation represents an ideal setting where there is more time to implement therapy with vericiguat and incorporate a greater num-ber of medications for the management of these patients. This review covers vericiguat's metab-olism, molecular mechanisms, and drug-drug interactions.