The new docuseries by Netflix, Pandemic 2020: How to Prevent an Outbreak is an attempt to explain to the viewers how viral outbreaks, such as the one we are facing at the moment, spread and how they spread so rapidly, taking over the entire globe, country by country. It is a six-part series that throws light on and put a face to the doctors, health officials, and all the medical experts working on the frontlines of the COVID 19 outbreak, although it does not completely discuss about coronavirus in an explicit manner.
What is so great about this show?
Many people believe that this show has a strangely accurate timing because when this was released in the month of January, the coronavirus had just begun to spread throughout China, originating from Wuhan, just a few weeks before the World Health Organisation declared this outbreak as a pandemic. It was filmed in 2019 in the United States and in different parts of the world, covering varied information about doctors, officials and all experts who are putting their lives on the line, fighting the virus outbreak.
This docuseries also draws references from earlier outbreaks such as the Spanish Flu of 1918, Ebola virus, way to combat common cold and also the importance of vaccines. Some viewers believe that the Pandemic series was released at the perfect time as a larger part of them was unaware of the vulnerabilities of the current systems and it providing with important information in the time of emergence of a dangerous pathogen and telling them ways how they can keep themselves and their families safe and healthy.
Why should one watch this show?
As the daily updates of new cases, deaths and recoveries of the COVID 19 keep flooding our news channels and other sources of such information; Netflix has kept its viewers engaged by streaming this six part series as well as other documentaries to show how prepare or unprepared the world is when it comes to dealing with a virus outbreak and a pandemic in a situation where most countries are facing lockdown. Its first episode starts with a theoretical prediction and that is that the world is due to face a new, fast moving, deadly epidemic like we did 100 years ago with the influenza virus that killed about 50 to 100 million people when the global population was a mere 2 billion.
As of recent reports, there have been 24,000 registered cases of COVID that have been confirmed and the virus has managed to have affected people across 28 countries. It has not only caused a major loss of lives, but as also rendered a financial disruption and stagnation in all fields such as food production, workplaces, schools and educational institutions, airlines and other forms of transport. As the series gains momentum across the world, it brings to the public eye the lives of the important characters in out fight against this pandemic and how these lives often go unnoticed and undervalued.
It also introduces the viewers to doctors working in the United States and parts of Asia to who were trying to find a cure for the flu epidemic. The Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Emerging Threats Unit Dr. Dennis Carroll also mentions that there always emerges a variant of the flu that poses a threat to the human species’ existence, every once in a while and that pattern has been observed over the past centuries with outbreaks almost every 100 years that wipes out thousands of people from the face of the Earth.
After almost two months of Pandemic and also the actual pandemic, it can be believed that there is quite some truth to Dr. Carroll’s statement and it may also apply to the COVID 19 breakout. The following episodes of the show talk about the Ebola breakout and how important it is to develop the right vaccines and cures at the right time. The final episode of the show Pandemic talks about the minute details of the common flu and what could be done to combat it and the precautions to be taken.
Importance of Pandemic Series
The reason why it is important is that it will be really helpful for those who want to take up measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus and protect themselves and their families, as most of the methods and precautions are the same. Although the series does not directly address the COVID breakout and its specifications, it gives us a broad idea about how these virus outbreaks originate, how they spread, what could be done to prevent that spread and what precautions are to be taken.
Staying at home, many people have taken to Netflix and watch such shows and documentaries to gain information and also develop a new perspective in the wake of a global pandemic. What still remains the most important thing is practicing social distancing and even if you do go out to buy supplies, groceries or medicines, make sure you maintain a distance of at least 6 feet with the next person. This show is a must watch not only because it gives us insight into the virus outbreaks and epidemics and how the virus spreads but also takes us closer to the lives of health officials, doctors and all the people who are on the forefront of this battle.
On the other hand, what still remains the most important way to prevent the spread of this virus is to follow the precautionary measures suggested by the World Health Organisation. Everyone should wash their hands for minimum 20 seconds thoroughly with soap and water or with an alcohol based hand sanitizer. You should also avoid touching your face and keep your face, mouth and nose covered when you cough and sneeze. Apart from showing the realities of the health workers, Pandemic also makes it clear that these little steps actually help and do make a difference when it comes to protecting yourself and preventing the further spread of this virus.