Crimson Contagion: A Deep Dive Into the Pandemic Preparedness Exercise
Crimson Contagion was a federal exercise conducted in 2019 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to assess the nation’s ability to respond to a large-scale global influenza pandemic. This exercise exposed significant vulnerabilities in the U.S. health system and highlighted areas that required urgent improvement. Let’s explore the details of the event, its timeline, participants, findings, and connections to future preparedness efforts.
What Was Crimson Contagion?
Crimson Contagion was a series of functional pandemic simulations led by HHS between January and August 2019. These exercises modeled the rapid spread of a fictional, highly contagious strain of avian influenza originating in China and arriving in the United States through international travel.
The primary goal of the exercise was to evaluate the coordination between federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as private sector and international partners, in responding to a pandemic.
Key Details of the Exercise
• Dates: The Crimson Contagion simulation ran from January 2019 to August 2019, with the largest exercise, the full-scale event, occurring in August 2019.
• Virus Simulated: The exercise focused on a fictional H7N9 influenza virus, which was portrayed as both highly transmissible and having a high fatality rate.
• Scope: The exercise spanned 12 states and involved more than 19 federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Over 100 public and private sector organizations also participated.
Participants and Structure
The exercise engaged:
1. Federal Agencies: HHS, CDC, DoD, DHS, and others coordinated response measures and tested their operational readiness.
2. State and Local Governments: Officials from multiple states were tasked with implementing public health interventions, including mass vaccinations and healthcare resource allocation.
3. Private Sector: Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and supply chain managers tested their ability to respond to surges in demand for medical supplies, ventilators, and vaccines.
Findings from Crimson Contagion
The exercise revealed critical gaps in pandemic preparedness, including:
1. Confusion Over Roles: Federal, state, and local governments struggled with unclear delineations of responsibility.
2. Supply Chain Issues: Severe shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and vaccines were highlighted.
3. Healthcare Capacity: Hospitals quickly became overwhelmed, revealing inadequate surge capacity.
4. Public Communication: Miscommunication and inconsistent messaging created confusion among the public and stakeholders.
5. Funding Gaps: Insufficient federal funding for pandemic preparedness and response slowed critical decision-making and resource allocation.
Connection to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Crimson Contagion eerily predated the COVID-19 pandemic, which began less than six months after the August 2019 exercise concluded. The simulation’s findings mirrored many of the real-world challenges the U.S. faced during COVID-19, such as:
• Insufficient PPE stockpiles.
• Delays in vaccine distribution.
• Coordination challenges among federal, state, and local authorities.
Unfortunately, despite the lessons learned from Crimson Contagion, many of the vulnerabilities identified in the report were not fully addressed before COVID-19 emerged and the world went into lockdown. What has also come to light is that a virus was created in a US funded lab in Wuhan that Dr. Anthony Fauci directed and that the vaccines generated during the COVID crisis are now under scrutiny by the newly appointed Director of the CIA. I believe what we witnessed was a dry-run by our government pre-COVID in the roll-out of a bio-weapon used on the world, and Dr. Fauci was at the helm of it all.
Spinoffs and Related Efforts
Crimson Contagion built on earlier pandemic preparedness exercises and influenced subsequent planning efforts:
1. TOPOFF Series (2000-2009): Preceded Crimson Contagion, focusing on bioterrorism and pandemic response.
2. Event 201 (October 2019): A global pandemic simulation organized by Johns Hopkins, the World Economic Forum, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which also simulated a coronavirus pandemic.
3. Pandemic Preparedness Reports: The findings of Crimson Contagion contributed to reports urging increased funding for stockpiles, vaccine research, and inter-agency coordination (just follow the money).
Conclusion
Crimson Contagion was a wake-up call that exposed systemic weaknesses in the United States’ pandemic preparedness as well as the lengths to which governments will go to control and thin the masses, and to that I say - No. I will not comply.