According to a new study done by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, COVID lockdowns did little to prevent deaths from coronavirus. The calculated reduction in mortality rate: 0.2%.
“We find no evidence that lockdowns, school closures, border closures, and limiting gatherings have had a noticeable effect on COVID-19 mortality,” the researchers wrote.
“But the research paper said lockdowns did have ‘devastating effects’ on the economy and contributed to numerous social ills,” the Washington Times reports.
“They have contributed to reducing economic activity, raising unemployment, reducing schooling, causing political unrest, contributing to domestic violence, and undermining liberal democracy,” the report said.
“Such a standard benefit-cost calculation leads to a strong conclusion: lockdowns should be rejected out of hand as a pandemic policy instrument,” the paper concluded.
“Early on, many states and 186 countries imposed bans on work, socialization, in-person schooling, travel and other restrictions to limit the spread of the disease, citing recommendations by top health experts,” WT adds.
It sounds like it may have been for nothing.
Early on in the pandemic, researchers from Imperial College London predicted lockdowns could curb deaths by up to 98% —but that never happened according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins.
“Overall, we conclude that lockdowns are not an effective way of reducing mortality rates during a pandemic, at least not during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic,” they wrote.
Lockdowns had little or no impact on COVID-19 deaths, new study shows https://t.co/HwvwrHiDxM
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 31, 2022