Decoding COVID-19

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has upended life as we know it in a matter of mere months. But at the same time, an unprecedented global effort to understand and contain the virus—and find a treatment for the disease it causes—is underway. Join the doctors on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 as they strategize to stop the spread, and meet the researchers racing to develop treatments and vaccines. Along the way, discover how this devastating disease emerged, what it does to the human body, and why it exploded into a pandemic. (Premiered May 13, 2020, NOVA/PBS)

Written, produced, and directed by Sarah Holt, Decoding COVID-19 is a scientific investigation into the coronavirus that has caused an international public health crisis and turned the world upside down. Filmed in April and May of 2020, during the early weeks of the pandemic’s impact on the U.S., the one-hour documentary reveals the biology of the tiny pathogen devastating lives from Wuhan, China to New York City and follows the unprecedented collaboration among scientists who were racing to develop a vaccine.

Sarah received the 2021 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award for her work on the film.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, described the film as "an hour-long primer on the coronavirus pandemic." "In one masterful hour that originally aired last May, producer Sarah Holt and her team told the story of the overwhelming spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 with strong graphics, explaining how the virus works and how it could be fought with treatments and a vaccine." While the film explains how the coronavirus infects and affects the body, and how it can be fought, Decoding COVID-19 also presents harrowing, humanizing chronicles from the frontlines, following the health care providers, patients, and families battling the disease.

"Holt balances these harrowing personal stories with clear explanations and animated illustrations of the science behind how the virus attacks the body, about how it spreads, what measures can be taken, and the desperate attempts to find a cure. In the midst of an onslaught of misinformation about this ongoing disaster, this film provides facts and clarity."

— The Boston Globe

REVIEW ~ Albuquerque Journal

‘Nova’ special an investigation into COVID-19

By Adrian Gomez / Journal Arts and Entertainment Editor – Sunday, May 10th, 2020 at 12:02am

Sarah Holt has never made a documentary in six weeks. But it was important and the timing was important.

Holt is at the helm of the coming one-hour “Nova” special, “Decoding COVID-19.” It will premiere at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, on New Mexico PBS. It repeats at 10 a.m. May 17.

The film is a scientific investigation into the novel coronavirus, which has caused an international public health crisis and turned the world upside down.

It reveals the biology of the tiny pathogen devastating lives from Wuhan, China, to New York City and follows the unprecedented global collaboration among scientists racing to develop a vaccine.

Holt says it presents harrowing, humanizing chronicles from the front lines, following the health care providers, patients and families battling the disease.

Holt’s team began working on the special six weeks ago.

“This story is a critical piece to the puzzle,” Holt says. “It’s been a team effort. To make a film in a pandemic proved to be difficult. We couldn’t go into their homes. Interviews are done by Skype. It’s hard to have the same quality, but the message is powerful.”

Julia Cort, co-executive producer for “Nova,” says it’s not often the science series puts out a special.

“We feel like we can add to the conversation,” Cort says. “This is obviously affecting everyone, and science is at the center of it. There is a lot of confusion. This special helps clarify the complexities of science.”

The film opens in Wuhan and tells the exclusive story of Liu Qi, a 21-year-old university student who was among the first to contract the disease. As he relays his ordeal, the film calls on U.S. infectious disease experts and scientists working at the cutting edge of research to break down how this devastating virus emerged, what it does to the human body, and why it exploded into a pandemic.

Although scientists have not found a cure or vaccine, the worldwide effort to attack the virus on multiple fronts has been unprecedented.

“Many of these scientists who are working on a vaccine took an hour out of their already busy schedule to talk to us,” Holt says. “That was a big part of getting the film made. We had access to these scientists who are leading the way.”

Cort says that because developments continue to change day by day, “Nova” tried to make sure to give viewers a good foundation in the basic science and what coronavirus is.

“As you get to the vaccine, we break down how it works and how there are dozens of vaccines in development,” she says. “It’s to try and help people understand what are some of the basic ways. The vaccines also have to be safe and effective. There are huge challenges that face the scientists.”

Holt says film crews were able to have access in Wuhan, China, as it was opening back up recently. The program shows how the area is using tracking to get out of the gates.

“They are scanning your cellphone,” Holt says. “They are taking your temperature, and if you don’t have a green light, you can’t get into a public building. Until we get an effective drug or vaccine, one way is to have effective contact tracing. I don’t know if anyone wants to go as far as China, but there’s a lot of work to be done.”