In general, the policy response to the pandemic has been terrible. Lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, school and business closures, and vaccine mandates (ie lockdowns applied only to the unvaccinated) have disrupted billions of lives without providing any benefit to society. Now, a comprehensive study from Johns Hopkins sheds new light on the extent to which government policies failed to meaningfully impact the pandemic's natural trajectory. Note that the authors use the 'lockdown' as an umbrella term that covers a variety of policies that restrict movement, commerce, and individual choices. Here's an excerpt from the study's conclusion:
"What does the evidence tell us about the effects of lockdowns on mortality? We provide a firm answer to this question: The evidence fails to confirm that lockdowns have a significant effect in reducing COVID-19 mortality. The effect is little to none."
"The use of lockdowns is a unique feature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns have not been used to such a large extent during any of the pandemics of the past century. However, lockdowns during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic have had devastating effects. They have contributed to reducing economic activity, raising unemployment, reducing schooling, causing political unrest, contributing to domestic violence, and undermining liberal democracy. These costs to society must be compared to the benefits of lockdowns, which our meta-analysis has shown are marginal at best. Such a standard benefit-cost calculation leads to a strong conclusion: lockdowns should be rejected out of hand as a pandemic policy instrument."
If the policy response to the pandemic didn't actually lessen the impact of the pandemic, who benefited from it? Predictably, the rich. "As the virus spread, central banks injected $9 trillion into economies worldwide, aiming to keep growth alive," according to Financial Times Alt link. "Much of that stimulus went into financial markets, and from there into the net worth of the ultra-rich. The total wealth of billionaires worldwide rose by $5 trillion to $13 trillion in 12 months, the most dramatic surge ever registered."
At the same time, five million new millionaires were minted in 2020 while fully half of the world was economically harmed by the pandemic response. Global hunger surged.
Governments, too, benefited from the pandemic in terms of the new powers they gave themselves over their populations. In the US, at the federal level, some of these new powers have been checked by the court system. But states and municipalities have suddenly become able to make mandated attire and proof of medical procedures a requirement for freedom within their jurisdictions. And since these rules don't meaningfully impact the pandemic, they can only be viewed as moves, within governments, to shift the balance of power away from individuals. Put bluntly, these policies restrict freedom purely for the sake of restricting freedom.
Given the insane level of propaganda we've been exposed to in the last two years, it's unsurprising that so many people still misunderstand the facts. About a third of my Facebook friends are science deniers who incorrectly believe that segregating the unvaccinated improves public health. Another third of my Facebook friends are science deniers who incorrectly believe that the vaccine is part of a conspiracy involving 5G. I've given up on changing their minds with evidence.
Actually, I feel as if I've come to inhabit a completely different world than the one they live in. And I get the sense that there are many people out there who feel the same way. Two years ago, we woke up in a bizarro world, where facts ceased to matter. And everything since has just been us playing along, like a parent plays along with a child's game, waiting for those around us to come to their senses.
(Feature image from Pixabay.)
Read my novels:
- The Paradise Anomaly is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Psychic Avalanche is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- One Man Embassy is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Flying Saucer Shenanigans is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- Rainbow Lullaby is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
- The Ostermann Method is available in print via Blurb and for Kindle on Amazon.
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Check out the comic I wrote:
- Finney Vol 1 Immutable Journey is available as a free e-comic.
Read my autobiographical monograph:
- Navigating Dystopia can be read for free or purchased as an NFT.