A new study from Johns Hopkins University came to the conclusion that lockdowns have had little to no effect on Covid-19 mortality.
The John Hopkins study looked at the life-saving effect on restrictions of personal movement during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The researchers reviewed 24 separate studies and broke them into three groups: Lockdown Stringency Index Studies, Shelter-In-Place Order Studies, and Specific Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention Studies. They looked at lockdowns following the first wave of Covid two years ago and conducted a meta-analysis on several studies regarding lockdowns.
It found that lockdowns only reduced Covid deaths by two-tenths percent in the U.S. and Europe. Less restrictive shelter-in-place orders didn’t fare much better, as they only reduced deaths by an average of 2.9%.
The study supports the findings of other studies in Canda, Norway and Sweden but contradicts a University of Oxford report that estimated the lockdowns saved 3-million lives in Europe.
“It’s a controversial and important topic that the public needs to let play out in the academic research, because obviously as a non-economist it will be very difficult to read this study and say, ‘Oh yes, the methods and the research is valid,’” said Dr. Wes Stubblefield, Alabama Health Agency director and former CDC consultant.
The study states that lockdowns “imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted.” Researchers ultimately came to the conclusion stating, “lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.”
