The rapid spread of COVID-19, a novel form of coronavirus, has become the defining global health crisis of our time. Seemingly overnight, the virus has changed our daily lives and the way we interact within our very own communities. But how did we get here? And what insight can we learn from scientists and experts? ‘PANDEMIC: COVID-19’, a 1-hour special, gives an in-depth look at the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe on Tuesday, March 31 at 9pmKSA on Discovery Channel.
As many have heard through the news, COVID-19 is believed to have jumped from animals to humans in a market in Wuhan, China. But how does this happen? Experts will shed light on its treatment and transmission, which initially baffled doctors and scientists who first encountered early patients who fell ill. The special will also look at how within a matter of weeks, COVID-19 spread throughout China and beyond, alarming healthcare professionals and scientists.
‘PANDEMIC: COVID-19’ will take viewers inside the fight to contain the pandemic with the latest news on how the government is coordinating to test and treat patients, and to prevent further spread. Experts will reveal why COVID-19 is unique, why the world was so unprepared for it and what could have been done differently to contain its spread.
The special will also trace the origin of the outbreak in the United States to the first patient, its rapid spread in Seattle and probe the dramatic and unexpected transmission across the country. Viewers will hear from the leading experts in medicine on the frontlines as well as academia, government officials and patients with first-hand accounts.
Despite quarantines in multiple countries such as China, Korea and Italy, in a few short weeks the world has watched as the virus has spread – where countries such as Italy are seeing hundreds die each day, even while the country has gone into lockdown. Is the US prepared to face this global pandemic unrivalled in modern history? Every day the story takes another dramatic turn, as the number of infected and reported dead in the United States continues on an upward trajectory. ‘PANDEMIC: COVID-19’ will look at the effects of the drastic measures happening across America as institutions, schools and businesses are shut down to prevent transmission. This timely special will shed insight from those leading the fight to find answers as well as a possible cure.
* ‘PANDEMIC: COVID-19’premieres in the region onTuesday 31 March at 9pm (KSA) on Discovery Channel (OSN channel 500).