Patient Zero / Epidemic

As with many of our games, there are multiple variations out there, due to the fact that they spread by word-of-mouth first and then began getting written down.  This is the one we use.

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Purpose:
Patient Zero teaches students to observe what is happening around them and use deduction skills.

Objective: 
Players must figure out who patient zero is before everyone in the group “dies.”

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Directions:

1. Players spread out throughout the room or playing space with their eyes closed.

2.  The instructor lightly taps 1 person on the shoulder 2x to activate Patient Zero, who then nods or gives a thumbs up to acknowledge they understand.

3.  The instructor moves away from the group and then tells everyone to begin shaking hands (and introducing themselves to one another, if they do not know each other) as well as letting them know how patient zero will spread the epidemic.

4. Patient Zero spreads the infection by either a double squeeze handshake or using their middle finger to scrape the other person’s palm 2 times as they shake their hand.

5.  Infected players infect 2 other players in the same way patient zero did, and then drop to the floor (die.)
  *Once infected a player may not call out who Patient Zero is.

6.  Players that aren’t infected yet call out who they think patient zero is when they figure it out, but if they are wrong, they drop to the floor (die).

7. The game ends when someone guesses or deduces who patient zero is correctly, or only Patient Zero is left standing.

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