Measures to keep people at home this spring significantly slowed the growth of COVID-19 mortality, new estimates show.
TWO MONTHS OF LOCKDOWNS this spring saved as many as 370,000 lives in the U.S., according to new estimates from researchers at the University of Iowa.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the first statewide shelter-in-place order on March 19, and by early April, 42 states and the District of Columbia were similarly locked down. While coronavirus infections continued to rise, research shows social distancing measures curbed the growth of new cases within days. The new study, published in the journal Health Affairs, indicates the stay-at-home orders also corresponded with a sharp decline in COVID-19 mortality growth rates that became more pronounced as time went on.
In the first week after a shelter-in-place order was enacted, the average daily growth rate in COVID-19 mortality was 20.5%, according to the analysis, which is based on data from 22 states between March 21 and May 15. In the fourth week after enactment, the growth rate fell by an average of 2.9 percentage points, while after the sixth week, the rate fell by an average of 6.1 percentage points. Continue reading.