A Johns Hopkins University literature review and meta-analysis of the effects of lockdowns on mortality stemming from the coronavirus found that “lockdowns have had little to no public health effects,” and have “imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted.” https://www.yahoo.com/video/lockdowns-only-reduced-covid-19-014431665.html
It was about not collapsing health systems. Its also bullshit as there are European countries with very little excess mortality. Lockdowns don't work so well other than saving health systems in most societies but we can see the ones where they did and maybe need to be more like them for the next one.
Let's call this study by economists at the right-wing "The Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise" housed within the John Hopkins university out for what it is -- flawed meta-analysis where they cherry picked which studies would be included in their meta-analysis study to provide their pre-determined result. "After three levels of screening, 34 studies ultimately qualified. Of those 34 eligible studies, 24 qualified for inclusion in the meta-analysis." This institute at John Hopkins is really no different than the right-wing Hoover Institute at Stanford (which professors are demanding be given the boot) which manufactured endless Covid misinformation and gave us Scott Atlas. This reminds me of the meta-studies performed on Ivermectin. Tell us how they turned out in hindsight. Let's take a look at the history and information about the lead author at the right-wing Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics who funded this study. Of course the study has been hyped by Cato and all the other conservative websites and news organizations. Here is the bio of the lead author... Steve H. Hanke is a Professor of Applied Economics and Founder & Co-Director of The Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise. He is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Troubled Currencies Project at the Cato Institute, a contributor at National Review, a well-known currency reformer, and a currency and commodity trader. Prof. Hanke served on President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers, has been an adviser to five foreign heads of state and five foreign cabinet ministers, and held a cabinet-level rank in both Lithuania and Montenegro. He has been awarded seven honorary doctorate degrees and is an Honorary Professor at four foreign institutions. He was President of Toronto Trust Argentina in Buenos Aires in 1995, when it was the world’s best-performing mutual fund. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. in Amsterdam. In 1998, he was named one of the twenty-five most influential people in the world by World Trade Magazine. In 2020, Prof. Hanke was named a Knight of the Order of the Flag. So in review -- The first thing they did was exclude any study from their meta-analysis that would not provide the pre-determined result they desired -- from that point onward it is easy to manipulate the information into the desired results of the funders. These "meta-analysis studies" have reached the point in the Covid era where they simply serve to abuse science, statistics, and rationality. Tags: COVIDLOCKDOWNS COVIDMISINFORMATION
The Covid-deniers don't really understand the difference between a lockdown and restrictions. If they are required to wear a mask in the store they fear they are being oppressed, their freedum being taken away -- because the government is "locking them down".
You don't really believe that all these conservative anti-vaxxer Christians actually give a shit, do you?
You haven't answered why CATO is a legitimate institute for your global warming skepticism but not for lockdown skepticism
In fairness, Japan has geographic advantages as does NZ, hell, I don't recall Japan having lockdowns. It'd be interesting to see masking & distancing compliance for those countries too.
Also Asian countries have been masking up during cold and flu season out of respect for others long before COVID and they lived through the really bad previous SARS or whatever it is called so they were prepared to simply follow the protocols immediately and it was way less of an issue.