Lockdowns do not harm health more than Covid, say researchers

[Northerner]

Since early in the coronavirus pandemic, critics of unprecedented lockdown measures seen worldwide have argued that these interventions cause more harm than the disease itself. But an analysis of global health data suggests there is little evidence to support the idea that the cure is worse than the disease.

The analysis, published in the journal BMJ Global Health, considered claims that lockdowns cause more health harms than Covid-19 by examining their impacts on measures including death rates, routine health services and mental health.

As part of their study, researchers examined countries which imposed heavy restrictions with few Covid cases to assess whether the intervention was triggering excess mortality, said author Prof Gavin Yamey, from the Duke Global Health Institute at Duke University.
https://www.theguardian.com/theobse...e-some-of-the-collateral-effects-of-lockdowns
Using an international dataset of all-cause mortality from 94 countries, the researchers found that countries such as New Zealand and Australia experienced no excess mortality last year. In contrast, places with few Covid restrictions such as Brazil, Sweden, Russia and at times parts of the US had large numbers of excess deaths over the course of the pandemic.

Lockdowns do not harm health more than Covid, say researchers

Little evidence that social restrictions during the pandemic have added to rates of death and ill-health

www.theguardian.com

 

[mikeyB]

What they say might well be true, regarding death rates. They kind of gloss over any mental health or physical health in lockdowns ( eg higher alcohol consumption) by saying it’s better than having Covid from a death rate point of view.

It’s not a positive description of lockdowns to say at least you aren’t dead.

What they have completely missed mentioning is the financial support supplied by the government, without which the population could not have complied with lockdown. Now we are “free” there will be no financial support for folk who are pinged out of work on a regular basis.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

medical errors are the third-leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer.

No, Medical Errors Are Not the Third Leading Cause of Death

 

[AndBreathe]

Since early in the coronavirus pandemic, critics of unprecedented lockdown measures seen worldwide have argued that these interventions cause more harm than the disease itself. But an analysis of global health data suggests there is little evidence to support the idea that the cure is worse than the disease.

The analysis, published in the journal BMJ Global Health, considered claims that lockdowns cause more health harms than Covid-19 by examining their impacts on measures including death rates, routine health services and mental health.

As part of their study, researchers examined countries which imposed heavy restrictions with few Covid cases to assess whether the intervention was triggering excess mortality, said author Prof Gavin Yamey, from the Duke Global Health Institute at Duke University.
https://www.theguardian.com/theobse...e-some-of-the-collateral-effects-of-lockdowns
Using an international dataset of all-cause mortality from 94 countries, the researchers found that countries such as New Zealand and Australia experienced no excess mortality last year. In contrast, places with few Covid restrictions such as Brazil, Sweden, Russia and at times parts of the US had large numbers of excess deaths over the course of the pandemic.

Lockdowns do not harm health more than Covid, say researchers

Little evidence that social restrictions during the pandemic have added to rates of death and ill-health

www.theguardian.com

Whilst all of that may be true, it's not a story being bought by one of our neighbours whose routine PSA testing was deferred and deferred until he has just been diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer.

He's beginning treatment, but it is hard to argue that it wouldn't have been better picked up earlier.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Whilst all of that may be true, it's not a story being bought by one of our neighbours whose routine PSA testing was deferred and deferred until he has just been diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer.

Yes, but was that the restrictions or the pandemic? When your healthcare system is working hard trying to deal with infections it's going to do less of other things. (As is happening now even though most restrictions have been lifted.)

(I think it's uncontroversial that the messaging during our first lockdown was somewhat broken in that people who really needed urgent care were avoiding seeking it. I think that was better in the subsequent lockdowns.)

 

[AndBreathe]

Yes, but was that the restrictions or the pandemic? When your healthcare system is working hard trying to deal with infections it's going to do less of other things. (As is happening now even though most restrictions have been lifted.)

(I think it's uncontroversial that the messaging during our first lockdown was somewhat broken in that people who really needed urgent care were avoiding seeking it. I think that was better in the subsequent lockdowns.)

I don't think it's that clear cut, so we'll have to agree to differ on that.

Like so man of these things feelings and opinions can depend on how impacted any given individual is by any given circumstance.

I doubt we'll know the true cost (in all respects) of this pandemic until many years hence, and maybe not even then.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I don't think it's that clear cut, so we'll have to agree to differ on that.

Not saying that the restrictions didn't do anything bad. I just think it's tricky to separate things caused by the restrictions and things caused by the epidemic (which would surely have been even worse without the restrictions).