However, thanks to the tireless efforts of frontline workers in the medical and scientific fields, communities around the globe now look to the future with hope.
Doctor Anita Lo Mascolo has spent the past two years working around the clock at the Ramsay Street Medical Centre, in Sydney’s second Little Italy – Haberfield.
Lo Mascolo migrated to Sydney with her parents when she was just two years old, leaving behind the Sicilian city of Agrigento.
She grew up immersed in the Italian culture and language, and after graduating from St Vincent’s College and Bethlehem College, she decided to study medicine at university.
Like many other women in the medical field, Lo Mascolo has had to fight to be heard and respected throughout her career.
After years of study, internships and experience, she now manages the Ramsay Street Medical Centre.
When COVID-19 emerged in Australia, Lo Mascolo honoured her Hippocratic oath and continued to serve the community’s medical needs.
Over the course of the pandemic, she has ensured that patients have been treated with the utmost care, while also championing the need for vaccination.
When the Delta variant began to appear in Sydney, Lo Mascolo barely slept, working morning and night, seven days a week, to prioritise community access to vaccines.
A true doctor, Lo Mascolo put the needs of her patients above her personal and family life.
Though unaccustomed to the limelight, Lo Mascolo ought to have her sacrifices recognised, as her journey over the past two years has been admirable.
Many people in the Italian Inner West community owe their freedom to Lo Mascolo, as they are now able to return to their social and familial activities thanks to her hard work.
