60mins x 4eps
Episodes 1&2 Human vs. Virus
The three pillars of responding to virus are diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Among them, the most effective way to stop the spread of an infectious disease is to minimize the time taken for diagnosis. We have been preparing ourselves for the rise of new virus since the MERS outbreak 5 years ago. Particularly, we’ve been creating a system to assess the accuracy of diagnosis and test methods for new infectious diseases unseen in Korea like the Ebola and Zica virus.
The ‘Pan-coronavirus’ test used to diagnose the first Korean case was is too slow, taking 24 hours to final result. It must be brought down to a quarter, about 6 hours. We only have 18 days to solve this problem. Would it be possible to develop a new testing kit, apply for an emergency approval, and mass produce in just 18 days?
This war against virus! At the frontlines of this battle, there are people. The fight to end the invisible slayer! We look into the difficulties facing us today and try to get a hint of the future by watching the people at the frontlines.
Episode 3 Two Wars
Mr. Pilgyu Seo is a fully recovered former-COVID19 patient. He is actively performing social distancing as the number of cases continues to increase. Although the phone is the only access to the outside world when the forced stay-at-home is tiring, Seo turned his phone off because it would not stop ringing with calls and messages of threat. He is currently ‘escaping’ from Shincheonji religious group. Seo does not forget March 2nd. The day when additional confirmed cases exceeded 680 overnight, Shincheonji religious leader Man-hee Lee got down on his knees in front of cameras to apologize for the massive spread of the virus. It was a shock for Seo to see the leader of religious group he was faithful to, a manifestation of his perfect god, put his head down. Seo confessed to his parents that he was a Shincheonji follower that day. Seo had to tell the truth he’d been hiding for the past four years as his entire family had to be tested for COVID19. Results showed him and his parents positive. More than 60% of all positive cases in Korea are either Shincheonji followers or their friends and family.
The little known novel virus without vaccines or medications spread explosively meeting secretive religious sect. A health clinic staff who was secretly a Shincheonji follower continued facing patients nonetheless and was tested positive, and a group of Shincheonji followers living in the same apartment building were infected putting the entire building under cohort quarantine. The secrets and highly closed nature of the cult helped the virus spread. The fear on the unknown virus quickly became hatred towards religious cults. The disease control authorities and Seo are now at two wars against the virus and Shincheonji.
Episode 4
WHO declared world-wide pandemic on March 11th. After Italy declared national emergency, Spain, Germany, and the US followed; streets emptied, people began hoarding groceries, and some even went for guns to prepare for violent situations. News on hate crimes in Europe against Asians followed one another. The fear and hatred stopped the world.
Then, ‘bang, bang!’, the sound of gunshots echoed in the DMZ area, the northernmost part of South Korea. Hunters wearing ‘vermin control’ vests ran to the field to find a wild boar well above 200KG dying. The carcass was buried and the premises disinfected. Such measures were taken because African swine fever virus which has fatality rate that can go up to 100% was confirmed in 400 carcass of wild boars in recent warmer days. Although the African swine fever virus is not known to affect human, authorities are monitoring as the virus may undergo mutation. COVID19 is suspected to come from bats. And COVID19 is not the only virus experts are worried today. Each country has begun their efforts to develop vaccines, and the good news is that some started clinical trials. But as we move forward, the virus too is mutating itself to become stronger. Scientists say the 7.9 billion population, abnormal factory farms to feed them, and greed will cause more frequent pandemics.
Who will come out as the winner in this battle between human and virus? What will our new daily lives look like?
