“Contagion,” is a must watch 2011 movie in order to get a clear picture of the Covid-19 threats the world is currently facing. The medical action thriller shows how virus pandemic puts the entire world on edge. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie describes conditions that could trigger and worsen the effects of a fast-acting virus, which could lead to the loss of millions of lives.
Health Science Experts Laud Contagion’s Realistic Plot
Health science experts who have seen the movie laud it for its realistic plot. Rebecca Katz, Georgetown University’s Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security, commented that
”The movie shows the interconnectedness between the environment, the animals and humans” … “showing how virus transfers and combines between animals and of how an emerging infectious disease can jump to humans.”
Later, with a mere handshake between the chef who prepared the infected pig and an American female guest, the latter becomes a new carrier of the virus. She spreads the undetected virulent organism everywhere she goes; whilst infecting everyone with whom she comes in contact.
Relevance of Other “Contagion” Narratives to What is Currently Happening
U.S. president Donald Trump tries to suppress panic felt not by the general public, but of the stock market investors who have been continuously selling off their stocks. Anxious that the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting weakening of the financial markets will hurt his chances of being re-elected, Trump tries to convince the American people that the coronavirus is under control and that a vaccine is underway.
In “Contagion” this was portrayed by local government officials who did not heed the warnings of the scientist sent out to investigate the mysterious virus. Their refusal to acknowledge the presence of a highly infectious virus in their midst, was tied to their reluctance to use resources in carrying out an emergency public health response.
The movie also explains why it takes a long time before a vaccine can be developed and tested as effective. The scientist who was able to identify a potential vaccine took the risk of inoculating herself, in order to reduce the time it takes to test the vaccine on consenting infected patients.
Fortunately, the scientist’s vaccine worked; but production time and methods of dispensing are also matters to consider.
Certain rules of order on who should first receive the treatment had to be observed. In the meantime, even as production of the vaccine was underway, the narratives indicated that the worldwide death toll continued to rise Since the outbreak was pandemic, the vaccine and its production cannot immediately reach all the millions infected by the virulent virus.