From how it began to how it will end, Netflix's 'Coronavirus, Explained' has the answers

Why did the coronavirus pandemic begin, and more importantly how does such a pandemic end? These are the questions that are on everyone’s minds and the questions that Netflix’s Coronavirus, Explained documentary aims to answer. The first episode from the series, This Pandemic, is now streaming on the OTT platform.

Long before the onset of the coronavirus outbreak in China, experts had been aware of the dangers of zoonotic viruses and the potential threat they hold over humans. When a virus found in animals spills over into the human population, the virus is termed as being zoonotic. Experts had been predicting for a while that one such virus would shortly cause a pandemic.

By seamlessly combining science and humanity, the makers have put together a simple, yet straightforward documentary that explains all the major aspects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The documentary, which has been produced by Sara Masetti and Sam Ellis, not only focuses on the events leading up to the current infection, but delves into the history of pandemics and gives us a larger perspective. While highlighting the mistakes which have been made, such as ignoring warning signs and not imposing lockdown measures earlier, the makers also interview a number of experts to give better insight as to what can be expected going forward.

Some of the experts interviewed, including Bill Gates and president of the EcoHealth Alliance, Dr Peter Daszak, have stressed on the importance of preparing for pandemics to come. They say that the casualties of a pandemic could outnumber the death toll of all past wars, if public health remains largely under financed. While it may take anywhere up to two years to find out if a potential vaccine is effective, preparing healthcare systems around the world to face such pandemics and unknown diseases can contribute to a significant cutting down of the numbers of affected individuals.

The world did come together and leaders of several countries initiated lockdown and social distancing protocols in an effort to curb further spread of the virus. However, as highlighted in the Netflix special, there needs to be more done to prevent pandemics.

Shortly after the SARS outbreak in 2002, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a set of guidelines in 2005 for countries to follow in the event of such a global health issue. This, however, was not enforced or followed properly. Another organisation, the EcoHealth Alliance, works to identify potentially fatal viruses even before they have entered the human population. A team of experts go to South China frequently to catch bats and assess whether there are any viruses which are at a danger of being transmitted to humans.

It was via the EcoHealth Alliance database that officials were able to find that the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, most likely originated from a bat. Such quickly made discoveries and sharing of information has permitted health officials to put up a steady fight against the pandemic.

It's not clear how many more episodes are there in this limited series and when the next one will be out, but so far, it promises to be an engaging and enlightening watch.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew.