Anytime there is a major event, the world watches the news on bated breath. With many people being forced to stay home due to the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 around the world, more people are curious about exactly how pandemics start. In addition to keeping up with the news, learning and understanding about the spread is incredibly important.
Luckily, there are some excellent documentaries currently available to stream that give a great look at the medical industry and how it handles pandemics. Grab your quarantine snacks and get ready to learn with these seven documentaries.
Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak
Pandemic is the Netflix original documentary that follows doctors and scientists during the flu season. The documentary explains how pandemics are spread, prevented, and stopped. The six-episode series is an excellent look into what the science and medical community are doing during an outbreak. The series also explains the importance of preventative care includeing vaccines, particularly the flu shot.
Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak is streaming now on Netflix.
VICE: Investigates, Episode 6 – Anti-Vaxx Fever
“Anti-Vax Fever” is the sixth episode of VICE News’s documentary series on Hulu. The episode talks about the ongoing outbreaks of measles due to parents choosing to not vaccinate their children. The episode explains the science not only behind vaccines but also how the misinformation has spread so quickly.
VICE: Investigates, Episode 6 – “Anti-Vaxx Fever” is streaming now on Hulu.
Explains, Season 2, Episode 4 – The Next Pandemic
Explains is the Netflix original documentary produced by Vox Media. The documentary releases episodes on a weekly basis and is similar to Vox’s YouTube videos series, which followed a similar format. The episode “The Next Pandemic” features an expert panel, including Bill Gates, who discuss what protocols are in place in the event of a pandemic as well as if we are truly prepared in the event of one.
Explains is streaming now on Netflix.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley is the HBO original documentary following Elizabeth Holmes, the CEO of Theranos, a now-defunct health technology company. Holmes conned America into thinking she and her company had developed a new, revolutionary way to test blood. Theranos claimed they developed a machine that could test blood from just a fingerprick. The documentary speaks to former employees and features footage of Holmes while explaining the downfall of the company and the junk science they used to patent their idea. While not specifically about an outbreak, the documentary is an excellent look at the pharmaceutical industry and Silicon Valley’s impact on healthcare.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley is streaming now on HBO.
The Coronavirus Epidemic
Streaming exclusively on CuriosityStream, The Coronavirus Epidemic is an episodic series covering the ongoing pandemic. The series specifically covers how this virus developed and how close are we to finding an effective vaccine. This is a must-watch for anyone wanting an accurate timeline of the ongoing events.
The Coronavirus Epidemic is streaming exclusively on CuriosityStream. Start streaming now using our affiliate link.
Bill Nye Saves The World, Season 1, Episode 2 – Do Some Shots, Save the World
Bill Nye Saves The World is the spiritual successor to Bill Nye’s classic children’s program, Bill Nye the Science Guy. The show is designed with Millenials in mind and covers serious topics including global warming, holistic healing, and vaccines. The episode “Do Some Shots, Save the World” specifically covers the importance of vaccinating yourself and your children. Bill also explains exactly how vaccines and the flu shot work.
Bill Nye Saves The World is streaming now Netflix.
The Body
The Body is a CuriosityStream exclusive documentary series. The three-episode series goes into detail explaining how the human body works. Knowing and understanding the basics of human biology is essential to understanding how viruses affect the human body. The second episode of the three-episode series focuses specifically on overcoming modern-day diseases.
The Coronavirus Epidemic is streaming exclusively on CuriosityStream. Start streaming now using our affiliate link.
Last Week Tonight, Season 7, Episode 4 – March 8, 2020
Last Week Tonight is a satirical news show featuring the comedian John Oliver. Each episode reviews what happened the past seven days in news, politics, and current events, all with a heavy dose of satire, of course. The March 8, 2020 episode covers the Coronavirus and the response from various countries. All of this valuable information is given with a large dose of humor.
Last Week Tonight is streaming now on HBO with new episodes dropping Sundays at 11 PM. However, production is shut down due to coronavirus concerns.
Do you have a documentary or documentary series about pandemics you have been watching to stay informed? Let us know on Twitter.