On October 18, 2019, Event 201 simulated a global coronavirus pandemic originating from bats, killing 65 million people in 18 months. The exercise was hosted by Johns Hopkins, the WEF, and the Gates Foundation. Participants included CDC, Chinese CDC, and UN officials. The simulated virus was 'a cousin of SARS, slightly more transmissible, like the flu, and slightly more lethal.' The first COVID-19 cases appeared just weeks later. Organizers say pandemic simulations are routine; critics call the specificity and timing extraordinary.