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FACT BRIEF

Does a fictional pandemic exercise scenario conducted at Johns Hopkins prove that COVID-19 is a globalist plot for world domination?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

Conspiracists are misrepresenting the design of this 2017 exercise about a fictional global health emergency as proof that the COVID-19 pandemic was created for the benefit of some individuals and agencies.

The scenario was an exercise about a fictional coronavirus -- SPARS -- in the future, and how it could be treated globally.

On page 6 of the 89-page SPARS scenario book from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is a disclaimer: "This is a hypothetical scenario designed to illustrate the public health risk communication challenges that could potentially emerge during a naturally occurring infectious disease outbreak requiring development and distribution of novel and/or investigational drugs, vaccines, therapeutics, or other medical countermeasures."

Everything about SPARS was, as the disclaimer said, "entirely fictional."

This type of scenario exercise is used in a wide variety of recreational and vocational settings, not just in public health.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Exercise scenario focused on medical countermeasures in a pandemic
CNN Experts predicted a coronavirus pandemic years ago. Now it's playing out before our eyes
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.