In the 2011 disaster film “Contagion,” Steven Soderbergh recounts an epic apocalyptic event, which is highly relatable in the post-pandemic era. After the appearance of a killer virus, the world changes for Mitch Emhoff. The CDC and FEMA are waging an all-out war against the microbial devil, as killers and vandals run amok in broad daylight.
In the meantime, the WHO is working to locate the root of the virus and Dr Orantes is traveling to Hong Kong to trace its origin. The final moments reveal the source of the outbreak – and you might want to remember how the new MEV-1 virus jumped on humans. In this case, let’s present a detailed report. FRONT SPOILERS.
Where does the virus come from?
By researching the virus, Dr. Hextall and CDC scientists deduce the origin of the outbreak. After reading the structure of the virus, a researcher realizes that the virus originated from bats. It also shows traces of pig genes, meaning the virus jumped from bats to pigs and then to humans. The first line of action is to trace the origin of the pandemic, and the WHO sends Dr Leonora Orantes on her way to Hong Kong to trace the source of the virus.
Meanwhile, the virus is evolving, and while scientists initially envisioned an R-zero of two, the mutation is accelerating the spread. The virus reaches an R-zero of four, meaning it is now capable of infecting four people with a single host. With this deduction, global health authorities determine that one in twelve people worldwide would catch the virus. Beijing touts the theory that the virus originated from the Chrysanthemum Complex (Kowloon Walled City) in Hong Kong. By the time Dr Orantes reaches Hong Kong, cases have risen to around 267,000.
The outbreak began outside the Chrysanthemum Complex, Orantes deduces, since Beth never visited the neighborhood. However, she went to a casino where she won a lot of money and brought everyone a drink. Dr. Orantes inquires at the casino, tracing everyone who contacted Beth. But Hong Kong officials don’t seem to be much help. They quickly abduct Dr. Orantes, only releasing her after she receives a batch of placebo vaccines. The last moments of the film reenact the first moments of the epidemic.
How did the pandemic start?
At the end, the film revisits the overflow event. A tractor felled some banana trees, and the tragedy implies that the tractor belonged to the Emhoff company. It turns out that a bat bit the banana. The bat was flying near a pig farm and the piece fell out of the bat’s mouth into the pigsty. A pig ate it and the owner transported it to a fancy restaurant in Hong Kong. The pig died in transit, but the chef decided to accompany him. It was the same restaurant Beth went to on her trip to Hong Kong.
In retrospect, the finale reveals Beth posing for the camera with the sous chef. She caught the bug from the chef and spread it all over the casino. Additionally, she infected a few people en route to Chicago and at her home in Minnesota. The virus was contagious, with a spread rate of R-zero two – whereas the Spanish flu had a spread ratio of R-zero one. Thus, it spread like wildfire, claiming lives in its wake.
Read more: Movies like Contagion
