New international study says coronavirus lockdowns not more effective than voluntary measures, not needed to slow the spread

The Blaze ^ | January 15, 2021 | Chris Pandolfo

[CheshireTheCat]

A new international study examining the effectiveness of state-mandated coronavirus lockdowns compared to other voluntary pandemic safety measures found that the lockdowns were no better at stopping the spread of coronavirus than less restrictive measures, like social distancing or reducing travel.

The peer-reviewed study, which Newsweek reported was published on Jan. 5 in the Wiley Online Library, examined how the virus spread in 10 countries in early 2020.

The study examined virus cases in countries that used "non-pharmaceutical interventions" — the academic term for lockdown policies — to those that did not. Researchers examined cases from England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States, which all imposed lockdowns in early 2020, to two countries that decided to use less intrusive, voluntary social-distancing measures — South Korea and Sweden. The aim of the study was to examine whether policies that closed businesses and forced people to stay in their homes were as effective as less restrictive policies to contain the spread of the virus.

To calculate this, the authors of the study used a mathematical model that subtracted "the sum of non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) effects and epidemic dynamics in countries that did not enact more restrictive non-pharmaceutical interventions (mrNPIs) from the sum of NPI effects and epidemic dynamics in countries that did."...

[KarlInOhio]

Oh, the author thinks the lockdown is to control COVID. That's so cute.

[MinorityRepublican]

Compare Florida to California. Enough said.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Ping

[richardtavor]

I guess Biden will open things up on day one. What a coincidence.....

[TChad]

I keep reading about studies that prove exactly this.

Joe Biden isn't quite up to speed, as usual.

[WVNan]

I predicted this long before biden was elected. It’s actually happening a bit sooner than I predicted.

[Slyfox]

It has been an entire year.

[Sacajaweau]

I'm amused since at some point.....and fairly recently, Fauci said...."Open the Windows"...get outside...

But no saloons....and no eating inside.

[arthurus]

Continuing lockdowns are vital to consolidate power.

[exDemMom]

The most important “take-home” of this study was not mentioned at all in the linked article. Importantly, the study found that individual behaviors drove most of the decreases in disease transmission. In most of the countries where “non-pharmaceutical interventions” were implemented, people had already begun to practice infection control measures.

No public infection control measure can possibly work when a large number of people fail to take the virus seriously, and refuse to participate in infection control measures. I can’t count the number of people I’ve seen walking around with their mask pulled below their nose, who are helping ensure that it keeps spreading and that the restrictions will continue. If everyone were equally concerned with preventing disease spread, the public health measures would be much more effective—and there would be fewer restrictions.

Here is the link to the original paper referenced in the linked article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eci.13484

[Steven Tyler]

You need to throw a couple of virgins into a volcano if you want to slow the spread of COVID.

[daniel1212]

The study examined virus cases in countries that used "non-pharmaceutical interventions" — the academic term for lockdown policies — to those that did not. Researchers examined cases from England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States, which all imposed lockdowns in early 2020, to two countries that decided to use less intrusive, voluntary social-distancing measures — South Korea and Sweden. The aim of the study was to examine whether policies that closed businesses and forced people to stay in their homes were as effective as less restrictive policies to contain the spread of the virus.

I am glad to see this study in contrast to the count hype and hysteria and prolonged restriction when very few healthy/fit persons are in danger, however, aspects such as population density, climate, and obesity rates needs to be factored into the ratio of Covid-assigned death rates per million.

[Devils_Tower]

Please watch and read the following.
The CDC, NIH, WHO have suppressed an effective early treatment of covid. You need to petition you governors to fix this. Ivermectin has been on the table since the first tests early this year from Australia. Dr Cory has testified before the Senate twice now. Also attached is latest from India and EVMS Dr Marik.

To the Governor of this country, get your heads out of your ass and fix this... The people in DC will not.

Full Dr Cory Senate, Dec2020
https://vimeo.com/490351508

How India did it...
https://trialsitenews.com/an-unlikely-nation-is-kicking-this-pandemic-guess-which-then-why/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/india/

EVMS Protocols (by Dr Marik)
https://www.evms.edu/media/evms_public/departments/internal_medicine/EVMS_Critical_Care_COVID-19_Protocol.pdf
https://www.evms.edu/media/evms_public/departments/internal_medicine/Marik-Covid-Protocol-Summary.pdf

If you can put this in front of your governor, please do so...

I am puting this out as much as I can, my version of an echo, feel free to copy at will...

Now from the NIH, on 14 Jan, need more studies...

https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/statement-on-ivermectin/

[richardtavor]

My comment was actually major sarcasm. It has been discussed for the last year on conservative sites (starting about March of last year).

[SaxxonWoods]

I can’t wait to watch Fauci twist himself into a pretzel agreeing with this.

[exDemMom]

Before I would do any advocating for one treatment or another, I want to take the time to read the study data. It is too late tonight to look up any clinical trial data.

I do know that several hundred clinical trials were initiated when the pandemic hit. Some of them tested various pharmaceutical interventions and others examined treatment modalities. I attribute the steadily falling death rate of Covid-19 to these trials. I figure the people who do clinical trial data reviews for the FDA are especially busy these days.

[lakecumberlandvet]

You sure place a high degree of unwarranted confidence in something that’s ineffective. Masks/face coverings don’t work.

[exDemMom]

If you are wearing your mask around your chin and mouth, of course it won’t work.

Properly worn face masks help to reduce the number of virus particles that a sick person emits into the air around them and the distance they travel. In addition, it helps to reduce the number of viruses you inhale if you happen to encounter a sick person. Since developing an infection depends a lot on how many virus particles you inhale, the mask can very well prevent illness, even if it does not prevent every virus particle from reaching your respiratory system.

There are many studies demonstrating the efficacy of masks. In addition, there was at least one study examining the efficacy of different fabrics in filtering out virus. The best mask would be made of 600 count cotton (like sheets) and a stretch chiffon made of 90% polyester and 10% spandex. I don’t use 600 count cotton (sheets are expensive), but I do use the stretch chiffon when I make masks, with a layer of 120 count cotton.

[daniel1212]

No public infection control measure can possibly work when a large number of people fail to take the virus seriously, and refuse to participate in infection control measures. I can’t count the number of people I’ve seen walking around with their mask pulled below their nose, who are helping ensure that it keeps spreading and that the restrictions will continue.

People walking around outside with their mask pulled below their nose or without one is not the real problem, for outside transmission is rare, and most transmissions are traced to household-type settings, esp. nursing homes. And requiring masks outside (as my state does) has not shown much of an effect, and fosters staying inside.

It seems that the places that saw low rates earlier now see high rates, even in states as NY and CA with their mask requirements and lockdowns (weather and thus being inside more seems to roughly correspond to this).

Yet Covid is overall only lethal to those with comorbidities, primarily obesity (70% of Americans are at least overweight and 42% obese) and diabetes and hypertension, and which are mostly our fault. Meanwhile the efficacy of vaccines is far from established.

That rather than shutting down parks and seashores as was done, and stay-sheltered mandates, instead the public should have been exhorted to get out in the fresh air and sunshine, weather permitting. And hold church services there, with spacing and fans. And lose weight.