Contagion
The current worldwidecoronaviruspandemic will be very conversant to fans of 2011 socio - political thrillerContagion , but how much did Steven Soderbergh ’s prescient picture show get correct or wrong ? WhileContagionaccurately predicteda ecumenical computer virus outbreak and the swiftness at which it can travel , there are elements that the - at the time , strictly fictitious - pic either got incorrect or failed to omen . COVID-19 - normally referred to as the coronavirus - is a flu - like virus that has circularise rapidly across the globe since its uncovering in November 2019 . The coronavirus has infected over 156,000 citizenry in over 130 countries , as countries have closed their edge and Hollywood stop production on everything fromJurassic World 3toStranger Thingsseason 4 .
In 2011,Contagionwas released , directed by Steven Soderbergh(Ocean’s11 ) with a screenplay by Scott Z. Burns ( The Report ) . The thriller revolves around a global eruption of a deadly virus , as seen through the centre of a myriad of characters , from Matt Damon as a father struggling to protect his daughter to the CDC film director Dr. Ellis Cheever ( Laurence Fishburne ) clamber to stay one measure forward of the outbreak . Contagionopened to generally favorable reviews , currently sitting with an 85 % Fresh critic rating onRotten Tomatoes .
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As soon as the coronavirus circularise worldwide , people saw similarities withContagion . Even at the meter of filming , Damon and Soderbergh commentedon the pic as being a matter of"not if , but when . “Contagionrecently saw an uptick in peoplestreaming the picture show , apparently looking for similarities with the coronavirus outbreak . Are audiences looking for clues on how to deal with such an event , or escape via a fictional virus which is so much worse than COVID-19 ? What didContagionget good and incorrect about coronavirus , nine years before it chance ?
Right: Asian Origin
First , the coronavirus arise in the city of Wuhan , Hubei province , China . InContagion , the computer virus that is eventually labelled MEV-1 stem from link between Beth Emhoff ( Gwyneth Paltrow ) and a local chef in Hong Kong . consort to theSouth China Morning Post , this strain of Coronavirus could have originated in Wuhan as early on as November 2019 , an origin the Chinese political science apparently went to great duration to mask , not confirm human - to - human contagion until mid - January 2020 . InContagion , WHO epidemiologist Dr. Leonora Orantes ( Marion Cotillard ) meet standardized resistance from the Chinese government in assay to settle the point of origin within Hong Kong .
Wrong: Extremely Deadly
Hollywood moving picture are full of extremelydeadly virus , andContagionis no exception . Beth Emhoff is among the first to die ; a mere 48 hours after contracting the computer virus she succumbs to seizures in a infirmary . MEV-1 is shown to be highly contagious and extremely fatal , which in reality is unusual for viruses . InContagion , the movie ’s scientists auspicate that MEV-1 will feign 1 in 12 hoi polloi with a mortality rate charge per unit of 25 - 30 % death rate rate .
In the tangible humankind , coronavirus is easy transmissible , but in reality has a relatively blue fatality rate rate of 3 - 4 % . The most at - risk come out to be the aged and those with respiratory ( or other ) underlying wellness return , as play off to the populace ofContagionwhere MEV-1 ultimately did not single out . Of naturally , on a global scale , a 3 - 4 % deathrate charge per unit is no joke .
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Right: Animal Origins
InContagion , Dr. Ally Hextall ( Jennifer Ehle ) says,“Somewhere in the human beings , the wrong pig run across up with the wrong bat . “She describes the viral sequencing of the MEV-1 , rule evidence of both cop and bat sequences , which demonstrate that the virus had creature origins . A similar description could apply to COVID-19 . Coronaviruses in the main are vulgar in bats , among other animals , and while the precise rootage are unknown , scientists suspect that early transmittance to humans occurred via infected seafood .
Wrong: The Young are the First to Die
InContagion , the first people to be severely affected by the computer virus - and at long last choke - are Beth Emhoff , a young easterly European model , and a host in a Hong Kong casino who appear to be in his early 20s . In reality , this has not been the case , as younger people have a greater hazard of experiencing this coronavirus as more of a seasonal grippe . Really , it ’s the aged act of our population as well as those with fundamental health concerns who will sadly be more susceptible to a fatal outcome from this particular contagion .
Right: Transmitted by Touch
In a series of frustratingly frightening scene , people infect by the computer virus inContagionare shown to be relentlessly touching thing , the camera linger on the spot where their grimy , sweaty fingers were , leaving touch of MEV-1 for the next hapless person to accidentally touch . Even the initial transmitting of the virus , revealed at the goal ofContagion , happens when the chef preparing the corrupt Sus scrofa for consumption shakes Beth ’s hand in Hong Kong .
In real sprightliness , the coronavirus is likewise transmitted through " fomites , " any control surface that can make a pathogen . Tables , bannister , any number of day - to - Clarence Day objects can hold droplets that contain COVID-19 . It ’s for this very reason that social distancing during the outbreak is so of import . Even flick theater are convulse their attendancecapacity by 50 % .
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Right: False Prophets
Every picture needs a villain , andContagionis no unlike ; paranoid blogger Alan Kumweide ( Jude Law ) seeks to misinform the general populace , falsifying symptoms of MEV-1 and a subsequent snake fossil oil remedy in the form of Forsythia . His readership jumps to over 10 million unique visitors , as well as a significant payday from the company producing Forsythia . In a crowd - pleasing scene , he ’s finally stopped and hold by the politics for cabal and security fraudulence .
As recently as March 13 , 2020 , notorious conspiracy blogger Alex Jones has been told to stop hawking alleged coronavirus - killing toothpaste via his radio show and website . TheNew York Timesrecently describe on Jones being issue a cease - and - desist by the New York State attorney general . Jones , via his lawyer , deny all the claims .
Right: Vaccine Development
At the end ofContagion , as the computer virus preserve to circularize , the CDC ’s Dr. Hextall tests the vaccine for MEV-1 on herself , reminiscent of Jonas Salk ’s experimentation with the polio vaccine . Fortunately , the vaccinum is successful , and a drawing determines who will be the first to be immunise . However , by the picture ’s conclusion over 26 million people pall worldwide . Thankfully , though the crisis has had devastating effects , thecoronavirushas yet to wreak the same degree of human cost , and scientists go on to work on developing an effective and secure treatment .
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