Independent
A scientific advisor on the 2011 film Contagion, which has soared in popularity since the outbreak of coronavirus, has said people should have taken the movie “much more seriously.” Contagion, which stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon, imagines a global epidemic that originates in Hong Kong and results in millions of fatalities.
Veterinary pathologist Tracey McNamara, who worked as a scientific adviser on Contagion, told BuzzFeed News the film should have served as a cautionary tale.
She said: “If people are watching it again, and if federal and state officials are watching it again, I hope they’re realizing that the movie was really about what can happen with a novel pandemic threat, and I think people should have taken it much more seriously.
“I wish people had paid closer attention to it when the film came out, because it really was a warning to the federal government that this could happen and you need to prepare.”
