Coronavirus: The Silent Killer Documentary Review: This will take time

Coronavirus The Silent KillerGenre DocumentaryProducer Genevieve WooOn Discovery PlusRatingAlmost like the inevitably propheticphilosophical This too shall pass the line that stays with you foremost after watching the documentary Coronavirus The Silent Killer is the terse note of caution by the Singaporean Dr Leong Ho Nam This will take timeInfectious disease specialist Dr Ho Nam should know given that he himself had tested positive for SARS in 200203 Both Singapore and Hong Kong unlike most parts of the world including India have since developed advanced level of protocol systems to deal with similar virusesBut the ultimate relief from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is obviously going to come from a decisive vaccine Which Dr Ho Nam predicts will take at least nine to 12 months Even if the vaccine was invented today it would take several months to disburse hundreds of millions of doses globally Thats the long haul were talking about And that Genevieve Woos 45minute film The Silent Killer thats just dropped on the Discovery Plus attempts to study mdash right from the genesis of Coronavirus from a 61yearold customer at the wildlife section of a seafood wholesale market in Wuhan China on December 8 2019 What followed was citywide confinement over an extended Chinese New Year break ever since the Chinese surgeongeneral Zhong Nanshan got on national TV to suggest all izz not wellWhile The Silent Killer is a documentary it lies wholly within the purview of news since the story is still developing as we speak Last checked March 19 730 pm on Channel News Asias tracker the virus had affected over 22 lakh people globally That number was roughly 208 lakh before I went to sleep last nightThis intensively aggressive spread is what separates corona from all other viral outbreaks including the 76 per cent similar SARS that was more lethal yes but over 10 months of its sustained attack it had affected only between eight to 10 thousand people eventuallyWatch the trailer of Coronavirus The Silent Killer hereWhat else is atypical about COVID19 The fact that it could reside within you and spread from thereon while you personally show no symptoms at all At the heart of understanding its containment is what a doctor in the film calls the pyramid structure At the tip are a relatively tiny fraction of folk showing symptoms and therefore commanding immediate medical attention But thats just the tip of the icebergThe huge bulge at the centre comprises asymptomatics and the less symptomatics being at the lowest tier Its this lot that requires comprehensive testing until which time wed actually have no clue of the real numbers and consequent dangers to avoid Basically were staring at a disease that spreads before the onset of illnessNo dont wish to sound alarmist Neither does the film This is no time for it Neither is it the moment to point fingers namely at China where it all began Although one cant deny that cagey opaque autocratic governments are inimical to flow of info necessary to defeat a pandemicIt took four months for China to globally acknowledge the 2002 SARS outbreak It took them close to a month since the first case to openly admit to coronavirus as well By January 29 the virus had already spread to all of Chinas 31 provinces besides having breached borders toward 25 countries in Asia Europe and North AmericaThat said the swiftness of Chinas response to the virus and its containment cant be denied mdash as you watch in The Silent Killer two hospitals in Wuhan with 2500 beds come up in two frickin weeks flat The film surveys this capital of Hubei province which is a ghosttown alright But the city has managed to curb the viral spread The epicentre of the pandemic has moved to Italy currently This is why heads of states like Trump need to stop calling this a Chinese virus as if it walked in with a stamped visa at immigrationWhile precaution is still the best cure the process of coronas containment is also known Protocols are at least theoretically in place So should shared resources Like an opensource code its humans who have to lend each other a helping hand and collectively take this forward mdash regardless of which country theyre from If this pandemic doesnt unite us ironically in our social distancing mdash God knows what will Stay home and stay safe worldCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates