Event 201 was a high-level pandemic simulation exercise held on October 18, 2019 in New York City, jointly hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It brought together about 15 global leaders from business, government, and public health—including executives from companies like Johnson & Johnson, Marriott International, UPS, and the media firm Edelman, as well as officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations, and China’s CDC. The exercise simulated the outbreak of a novel zoonotic coronavirus to explore coordinated responses to global health, economic disruption, and communication challenges.
