Event 201: Attended by Gates representative, Chinese CDC and others, a simulation to deal with a Coronavirus pandemic month before 1st reported Covid-19 case

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SARS-COV-2 has wreaked havoc across the world. The origins of the Coronavirus are yet uncertain, with speculation life that it was engineered in a Chinese lab from where it leaked either intentionally or otherwise. It was rubbished as a conspiracy theory by ‘experts’ but events from recent weeks have given massive credence to the plausibility of it.

Coronaviruses have existed for a long long time. The virus responsible for the SARS pandemic years ago was a Coronavirus. MERS is also caused by a virus that belongs to the Coronavirus group of viruses. It has been speculated by scientists for quite some time that a more dangerous Coronavirus could emerge that could prove to be much more deadly than the one that causes SARS. SARS-COV-2 proved to be one.

In October, 2019, a month before the first case of the Coronavirus is believed to have been reported in China, an event was organised that facilitated a 3.5 hour “pandemic tabletop exercise that simulated a series of dramatic, scenario-based facilitated discussions, confronting difficult, true-to-life dilemmas associated with response to a hypothetical, but scientifically plausible, pandemic.” That event, organised on October 18 that year, was called Event 201.

Event 201 recorded the participation of 15 global business, government, and public health leaders in the simulation exercise “that highlighted unresolved real-world policy and economic issues that could be solved with sufficient political will, financial investment, and attention now and in the future.”

According to its website, “The exercise consisted of pre-recorded news broadcasts, live “staff” briefings, and moderated discussions on specific topics. These issues were carefully designed in a compelling narrative that educated the participants and the audience.”

The website said, “Experts agree that it is only a matter of time before one of these epidemics becomes global—a pandemic with potentially catastrophic consequences. A severe pandemic, which becomes “Event 201,” would require reliable cooperation among several industries, national governments, and key international institutions.”