Event 201 Took Place in October 2019

From the August 21, 2019 Press Release Promoting the Event:

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will host a global pandemic exercise called “Event 201” on Friday, October 18, 2019, in New York City.

The exercise will illustrate the pandemic preparedness efforts, response decisions, and cooperation required from global businesses, governments, and public health leaders that the world will need to diminish the large-scale economic and societal consequences of a severe pandemic.

In recent years, the world has seen a growing number of epidemic events—approximately 200 events annually. These events are increasing, and they are disruptive to health, the economy, and society. Managing these events strains global capacity, even absent a pandemic threat. 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.

15 global business, government, and public health leaders will be players in the 3.5-hour simulation exercise. Players will be presented with a pandemic scenario that highlights unresolved real-world policy and economic issues that could be solved with sufficient political will, financial investment, and attention now and in the future.

“We recognize that pandemics can have more than just health consequences, they can cause severe cascading economic and societal consequences,” said Eric Toner, MD, a senior associate at the Center and Event 201 project lead. “Neither the public sector nor the private sector alone can adequately respond to a severe pandemic; they must work together. That’s our goal for Event 201, and why an exercise of this kind is such a valuable and compelling way to help leaders understand the decisions needed to prevent, prepare for, and respond to biological threats.”

The videos of the Event 201 exercise are hosted on the YouTube channel of The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security:

Event 201 Pandemic Planning Exercise: Highlights Reel

Event 201 Pandemic Exercise: Segment 1, Intro and Medical Countermeasures (MCM) Discussion

Event 201 Pandemic Exercise: Segment 2, Trade and Travel Discussion

Event 201 Pandemic Exercise: Segment 3, Finance Discussion

Event 201 Pandemic Exercise: Segment 4, Communications Discussion and Epilogue Video

Event 201 Pandemic Exercise: Segment 5, Hotwash and Conclusion