Fact Check: Covid-19 Pandemic Simulation Not Linked to Epstein Files

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video has been circulating on Instagram [archive] and X, claiming to be a simulation of patient treatment in preparation for the Covid-19 pandemic. The post states that the video is sourced from the Epstein Files, which have recently been released to the public.

The video features two main clips. The first clip shows the scene at a hospital with several healthcare workers wearing hazmat suits. Meanwhile, the second clip shows a group of people in hazmat jackets getting off an ambulance and then dancing in a circle.

However, is it true that the video comes from the Epstein Files related to the planning of the Covid-19 pandemic?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the content using Google's reverse image search, checked the Epstein files, and used credible sources. The result is that the video is promotional material for a hospital in Israel.

Clip 1

The first clip shows the treatment of patients at a hospital. It is an excerpt from a promotional video for the Shamir Medical Center located in the city of Be'er Ya'akov, Israel. The Israeli government-owned medical center released the documentary video on its YouTube channel on March 26, 2021.

Tempo's visual analysis found identical similarities between the circulating video and the original video, namely the presence of a room with thin blue partition walls marked with serial numbers. This proves that the visual was not a secret simulation recording to plan for a pandemic, but rather promotional content for public health facilities that was released publicly.

In addition, the ceiling of the room has air ducts or long rectangular cable covers next to the lighting fixtures. Healthcare workers also wear the same hazmat suits and face coverings.

France Info has confirmed that the video was recorded in the parking lot of the Shamir Medical Center, which was used during the Covid-19 pandemic. The hospital stated that the clip was recorded on March 3 and 4, 2021.

Clip 2

Meanwhile, the second clip showing people dancing in hazmat suits was recorded at a wedding celebration in Israel. The Hamal News Instagram account posted the moment on July 8, 2020.

Israeli media outlet Maariv reported that the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical services unit managed the ambulances and facilities seen in the video. Thus, the visuals are not related to the Epstein Files or pandemic planning, but are purely part of the celebrations of citizens during the lockdown.

Facts about the correspondence between Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein

Tempo examined the Epstein Files documents on the official website of the United States Department of Justice by searching for the keywords “pandemic simulation strain.” This search yielded two archives coded EFTA02381427 and EFTA02657725, which revealed correspondence between Bill Gates, Larry Cohen, and Jeffrey Epstein.

The communication titled “bgc3 Deliverables and Scope” dated March 3, 2017 involved BGC3—a think tank on health issues, global development, and technology investment founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, which has now been renamed Gates Ventures.

Although the Department of Justice redacted some of the names and email addresses in both files, the documents still reveal details of the proposed work. This leaves a mystery as to who first sent the email to Bill Gates and BGC3 employee Larry Cohen on March 3, 2017, at 5:31 p.m. local time.

In the correspondence, the sender presented five points regarding BGC3's work results and scope, which included domestic health issues and neurotechnology or neuroscience. The fifth point in the proposal did indeed include further recommendations and technical specifications for a pandemic strain simulation.

Digital traces show that the email was then forwarded to Epstein at 10:33 p.m. Just five minutes later, at 10:38 p.m., Epstein replied briefly with the word “ok.” However, the correspondence contains no authentic evidence that Bill Gates or his company planned the Covid-19 pandemic for 2020. The use of the term “simulation” in the draft refers more to academic research on health preparedness rather than a criminal conspiracy plan.

In an exclusive interview with 9News Australia on February 4, 2026, Bill Gates denied the contents of the correspondence with Epstein. “That email was never sent. The email was, you know, false. So I don't know what he (Epstein) was thinking there,” said Gates. He also expressed deep regret for having spent time with the convicted sex predator.

Pandemic simulation in epidemiology

Pandemic strain simulation is a tool for scenario analysis, preparedness exercises, and computer-based modeling that simulates the spread of hypothetical new virus variants. Airlangga University epidemiologist Windhu Purnomo emphasized that this practice is common in epidemiology and crucial for preparedness in the face of epidemic and pandemic threats.

According to Windhu, these anticipatory measures play an important role in strengthening the health system. “These simulations should be carried out just like drills for earthquakes, fires, or other natural disasters,” Windhu told Tempo on Friday, February 6, 2026.

This global preparedness practice also has a long track record internationally, including in the United States through a pandemic simulation in the form of a tabletop exercise titled Event 201 in 2019. The event involved collaboration between the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, the World Economic Forum, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The UK took a similar step by holding Exercise Cygnus in London in October 2016. The intensive three-day exercise involved more than 950 intergovernmental personnel to test the robustness of the UK's response to a serious influenza pandemic.

CONCLUSION

Tempo's verification concludes that the narrative claiming the video circulating shows an exercise as part of a plan to trigger a pandemic is a false claim.

TEMPO FACT-CHECK TEAM

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