It began in healthy looking pigs: a new coronavirus, spreading insidiously within herds. However, you probably haven't heard of this pandemic — that's because it was all a simulation.
— the brainchild of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security — was designed to test our global preparedness in the face of a severe pandemic.
They are quick to note that the simulation was in no way a prediction of the events that would follow it, and the inputs used for modelling the potential impact of the fictional virus are not similar to the current outbreak. The deadly coronavirus is spreading across the globe, with no end in sight — here is a timeline of key events so far and what to expect next."Although Event 201 was simulating a very different kind of epidemic, we can see that a slow response when the number of cases is very small can lead to an outbreak that is hard to contain," he told the ABC.
"Now that the disease is widespread in China, we see the beginning of the cascading economic and societal consequences illustrated in our exercise." There are also lessons to be learnt from the simulation, Dr Toner says — namely, the need for strong public health infrastructure and rapid action to identify cases, isolate them and trace contacts."Furthermore, healthcare facilities should be preparing now to safely treat coronavirus patients while under isolation."
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