04/02/2021
I have written about the movie Contagion previously on my blog, and also wrote about it on my personal Facebook profile and in private messages to family and friends.
I watched the film three times; with my daughter Alex, then with my daughter Evie and finally with my girlfriend Gaii; yes, that's the Thai word for chicken... it was the nickname given to her by her parents when she was a small child and it's what everyone calls her.
To hear that Matt Hancock credits the film for influencing government policy on the pandemic is somewhat surprising, even if it is a great film. I'm also not convinced he really paid that much attention to the film. If he had have watched the film and developed strategy based upon it, I'd have expected a much stronger response to the need for robust implementation of the lockdown, amongst other things.
Yes, I know it's a film. But it really was quite incredible how it covered some of the issues. Each time I watched it, my viewing partner questioned whether it was really a 2011 film as it seemed to depict the issues we face with such clarity.
Apparently, Hancock said that the movie showed the importance of securing enough COVID vaccines for use, once they had been approved. I'm not sure that was one of the key messages, but I recognise that my brain tumour can play tricks on both my memory and my cognitive interpretation.
In the film, the allocation of the vaccine was - after providing doses to 'important people' - a case of a ballot choosing the order based upon your date of birth.
In any event, I would prefer our government to base their decisions purely upon the guidance of suitable experts and not on movies; regardless how realistic they may seem.
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