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The World Health Organization conducted a simulation exercise to “test their readiness for the next pandemic.”
31 countries and areas from across the Western Pacific participated in Exercise Crystal.
“Simulations offer a much-needed opportunity to evaluate, refine and iron out coordination challenges and practise teamwork before a real crisis hits,” the WHO stated.
💪 Getting ready for the next pandemic!
31 countries and areas from across the 🌏 Western Pacific participated in Crystal, an annual simulation exercise to test their readiness for future #HealthEmergencies.
Simulations offer a much-needed opportunity to evaluate, refine and… pic.twitter.com/kbU5uGOyDr
— World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) December 4, 2025
More from the WHO:
The latest iteration of IHR Exercise Crystal enabled them to assess their preparedness and practise procedures for cross-border and inter-agency responses to emerging health threats.
Representatives from the participating countries and areas tested their communication capacities − as outlined in the International Health Regulations (IHR) − by responding in real time to incoming information about a fictitious novel respiratory illness. The simulation exercise offered an opportunity for focal points to practise verifying and sharing information with WHO, as well as assessing public health risks and coordinating with a range of sectors.
“The Western Pacific is demonstrating, through actions, what regional solidarity looks like,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. He commended Member States for their commitment to strengthening national IHR capacities, which will in turn enhance regional preparedness. “IHR Exercise Crystal, along with other efforts to enhance national IHR capacities, is reflective of the investment our countries and areas are making to ensure that our Region is prepared, better connected and better coordinated for health emergencies,” he said.
Simulation exercises like IHR Exercise Crystal are a critical tool for building a culture of preparedness and reducing risk. They allow emergency responders to stress-test contingency plans, procedures and systems in a safe environment. This offers a much-needed opportunity to evaluate, refine and iron out coordination challenges and practise teamwork before a real crisis hits.
“In late December, the WHO quietly ran a pandemic simulation with 31 governments. Now real lockdowns are happening, triggered by a strikingly similar virus in the same region,” Bannon’s War Room co-host Natalie Winters said.
In late December, the WHO quietly ran a pandemic simulation with 31 governments.
Now real lockdowns are happening, triggered by a strikingly similar virus in the same region.
Full story below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LwAhP9FamI
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) February 2, 2026
Winters wrote on Substack:
CRYSTAL is not the first time global institutions have run pandemic simulations using realistic respiratory virus scenarios.
In October 2019, just weeks before COVID-19 was publicly identified, Event 201 was held in New York. That exercise was organized by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the World Economic Forum, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Event 201 simulated a novel coronavirus pandemic, focusing on government coordination, public messaging, economic disruption, and supply-chain breakdowns. Like CRYSTAL, it was presented as fictional. Like CRYSTAL, it treated a global respiratory pandemic as an expected future event.
The difference is scale and authority.
Event 201 was a one-time tabletop exercise involving experts and institutions. CRYSTAL was run directly through WHO, involved dozens of governments, and was conducted as part of a recurring regional simulation program tied to international legal obligations under the IHR.