Guest wrote: ↑Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:45 am
I just checked the CDC and worldometer websites for data by US state. Worldometer is much easier to use. From a glance at the data it would seem the correlation between lockdowns and death rates per million is low which gives both sides of the argument anecdotal evidence to use to support their position. Perfect for an internet argument really....
My personal opinion is that comparisons are pretty useless unless you drill down and compare two areas with very similar population demographics and density. Probably would need to go down to the county level to do that in the US. Certain states have left restrictions to local government to implement so there are examples available I'd imagine. I'd also suspect that with enough time you could find evidence to support whatever argument you want.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain
The fact that bacteria/viruses cause diseases is well known.
Social distancing has been known to slow the spread of communicable diseases for hundreds of years. The brutal logic isolating individuals with smallpox/measles was well known by Europeans before it was understood how diseases were transmitted.
In the current situation the same logic applies. Covid 19 transmission can be slowed with masks and social distancing. An examination of the data on the CDC website clearly shows that MOST locations with social distancing had lower transmission rates over time. You can engage in What about What about and find an exception. So what. Look at the overall PATTERN of data. There will always be exceptions. Exceptions do not invalidate all the other data - especially when dealing with the messy process of human interaction. .
Yes it is hard to make comparisons and yes you do need to drill down. And when you do that and look at the numbers over time then the pattern is clear. The restriction surrounding Covid 19 reduced infection rates, reduced hospitalization rates, and saved lives.
There is a science behind valuing human life. I have seen different valuations but it is around $10 million dollars by some estimates. Have the Covid 19 restrictions been worth the cost? I don't know. But to imply or say the restrictions have not been effective in reducing infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths is the worst kind of lie. The science and the data clearly show they have been effective.
Are they worth the cost?
That is a value judgement.
If you want to argue they are not worth the cost.
Great.
Argue away.