Hundreds quarantined and one dead after test tube containing virus breaks
There are plenty of examples of life imitating art, but as science and technology continue to evolve at breakneck speed, an increasing number of TV shows and movies are accused of 'predicting' the future.
We've seen a million articles about how The Simpsons predicts the future, while Black Mirror has seemingly foreshadowed everything from AI-resurrected loved ones to social credit systems. Hinge's co-founder has even been accused of replicating the sci-fi series' AI-powered dating apps.
It feels like we're moving closer to the events of The Terminator every day, but now, 2002's Resident Evil is becoming oddly relevant again.
In a tragic turn of events, one Russian lab worker has died, and hundreds of people have been quarantined after she supposedly contracted pneumonia of “unknown” origin.
What is the Russian lab outbreak?
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For those who haven't seen it, the first Resident Evil movie involves a test tube breaking in an underground facility and the deadly T-Virus outbreak leading to the end of the world. While we're not suggesting this is the same,
CNN has reported that a 28-year-old female lab technician has sadly perished in Russia.
Working at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia, in the town of Shelekhov, Russia's Rospotrebnadzor agency has confirmed her passing. It's said that Darya Shipilova had been studying the plague and other infectious diseases, and in response, Shelekhov district mayor Maxim Modin confirms that a "comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures" has been put in place.
The Moscow Times claims that Shipilova told medical staff that she'd accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria.
Irkutsk officials described it as a "particularly dangerous infection," while Alexei Tsydenov, head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, said that Shipilova has died from an unspecified form of plague.
The quarantine measures have focused on the Shelekhov district hospital, although 197 people who might've been in contact with Shipilova have been placed under medical isolation.
Planned public events in Irkutsk have been canceled, and a criminal investigation into her death has been opened amid fears of potential health safety violations.
Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev has asked the public to remain calm after he met with Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova to discuss emergency containment measures.
Writing on Telegram on October 2, Kobzev reiterated: "All identified contact persons have been placed under medical observation. As of today, the contacts show no signs of illness, and their laboratory test results are negative."
Russia accused of covering up lab outbreak
Popova reportedly rushed 2,600 miles from Moscow to meet with Kobzev, but as well as his Telegram making no mention of Shipilova's death, there have been accusations that Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been trying to cover the whole thing up.
Without trying to raise alarm bells too much, political insider channel Nezygar has compared it to when COVID-19 first broke out in Wuhan.
Elsewhere, Russian epidemiologist Mikhail Favorov called out Russian authorities for their response while claiming it's allowed a lot of nonsense to be spread. Favorov now lives in America and called the test tube story laughable: "Someone working at the anti-plague institute in Irkutsk wears a protective anti-plague suit. If you break a test tube, the likelihood of infection is actually very low. In short, it doesn’t matter to the general public. They’ll believe the ‘dropped test tube’ story.”
Favorov saying Shipilova might've believed she was suffering from coronavirus, but with claims there's a lack of antibiotics in the region, he believes they could've saved her life if they'd been administered early.
He added: "It seems to me they diagnosed her with COVID because she was having trouble breathing and put her on a ventilator. It’s absolutely hair-raising.”
Maintaining a cover-up is underway, Favorov concluded: "We will not be told what really happened."