Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise, Jonas Herby, Lars Jonung, and Steve H. Hanke recently released an installment of their "Studies in Applied Economics" series titled "A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lockdowns on COVID-19 Mortality."
In it, they argued that "lockdowns have had little to no public health effects" and have "imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted."
Herby is a special advisor at Center for Political Studies in Copenhagen, Denmark, while Jonung is professor emeritus in economics at Lund University, Sweden and former research advisor at the European Commission. Hanke is the renowned founder and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise and has served on President Ronald Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers. He is also a contributor at National Review.
The three researchers conducted a "systematic review and meta-analysis" to determine whether lockdowns reduce COVID mortality. As part of the research, they identified 18,590 studies that could "potentially address the belief posed." Following three levels of screening, 34 of the 18,590 studies qualified. Of the 34 qualified studies, 24 qualified for inclusion in the meta-analysis. These 24 were then categorized into three groups, namely lockdown stringency index studies, shelter-in-place order (SIPO) studies, and specific NPI studies.
Researchers then analyzed each of these three groups and concluded that "lockdowns have had little to no effect on COVID-19 mortality." Moreover, researchers found that stringency index studies showed how lockdowns in the U.S. and Europe only reduced COVID mortality by 0.2% on average, while SIPOs reduced COVID mortality by an average of 2.9%.
"While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted," researchers wrote, as reported by Breitbart. "In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument."
Researchers noted how "public health experts and politicians" have "embraced compulsory lockdowns" as an effective method for combating the COVID pandemic. But based on their analysis, it did not have a great impact on COVID mortality.
They added that "specific NPIs, such as "lockdown vs. no lockdown, facemasks, closing non-essential businesses, border closures, school closures, and limiting gatherings" also found "no broad-based evidence of noticeable effects on COVID-19 mortality."
Meanwhile, border closures, school shutdowns, and limited gatherings yielded "-0.1%, -4.4%, and 1.6% on COVID mortality respectively.
According to Fox News, researchers also noted other effects of lockdown measures, which include "rising unemployment, reduced schooling, an increase in domestic violence incidents, and surging drug overdoses." Between May 2020 to April 2021, the U.S. recorded up to 100,306 deaths attributed to drug overdose, a significant rise of 28.5% from the previous 12-month period, which recorded 78,056 deaths.
Meanwhile, the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice found in 2021 that there had been an 8.1% increase in domestic violence incidents following the implementation of lockdown orders. Unemployment shot up to 14.8% in April 2020 and dropped to 3.9% in December, which is still higher than the 3.5% rate of February 2020.
