{"id":434998,"date":"2020-06-08T17:23:28","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T00:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=434998"},"modified":"2020-06-08T17:23:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T00:23:28","slug":"studies-stay-at-home-orders-prevented-millions-of-covid-19-infections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/studies-stay-at-home-orders-prevented-millions-of-covid-19-infections\/","title":{"rendered":"Studies: Stay-at-Home Orders Prevented Millions of COVID-19 Infections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shutdown orders that have brought sports and other aspects of normal life to a halt have prevented some 60 million COVID-19 infections in the United States and 285 million in China, studies revealed Monday.<\/p>\n

The two reports were published<\/a> in the journal Nature Monday. One study was undertaken by the Global Policy Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley. The other, performed by epidemiologists at Imperial College London, estimated that 3.1 million lives were saved in Europe by stay-at-home orders, including 500,000 in the United Kingdom. Those measures accounted for an 82 percent reduction in the infection rate in Europe.<\/p>\n

Both the studies indicate that while aggressive shutdowns have created unprecedented economic change, including widespread disruptions and massive job losses, the were necessary to reduce the deadliness of the coronavirus spread.<\/p>\n

They key point of the Berkeley study was that shutdowns of societies short-circuited the feared exponential growth of infections. Where cases had been doubling every day before measures were put in place, the spread was slowed by requiring people to remain at home and shutting businesses.<\/p>\n

The Imperial College study finds that only 3 to 4 percent of people in the countries studied have been infected. That emphasizes the size of the population that remains vulnerable and the need for continued vigilance, especially as restrictions begin to loosen. It\u2019s particularly pressing as many countries and areas of the United States seek to return to activities akin to pre-pandemic times, though those involving large gatherings (like sporting events) remain a potential risk.<\/p>\n

Of the specific measures assessed, the Berkeley study found that, \u201cbanning large gatherings had more of an effect in France and South Korea than in the other countries.\u201d It also found that keeping schools closed \u201cdid not show a significant effect,\u201d though researchers found this result not to be conclusive and an area for further study.<\/p>\n

The researchers also shied away from making policy suggestions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole point of this study is to help us understand what we got for this tremendous sacrifice that the country has gone through,\u201d said Solomon Hsiang,<\/strong> the director of the Global Policy Laboratory. \u201cUltimately, whether or not it was worth it is something society has to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swimming Through a Pandemic<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The postponements and cancellations wrought by COVID-19 haven\u2019t just affected the Olympics and the ranks of elite swimmers. They\u2019ve trickled down to neighborhood clubs and summer youth leagues, affecting thousands of recreational and competitive swimmers alike. Here is some of our coverage of COVID-19\u2019s effect on the American summer swimming calendar.<\/em><\/p>\n