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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Have pandemic lockdowns been proven ineffective at reducing COVID-19 deaths?

By Lisa Freedland
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NO

A preprint paper released earlier this month, which has not yet undergone peer review, is drawing criticism from infectious disease experts, who say it does not invalidate previous findings that lockdowns significantly reduced COVID-19 cases and deaths.

One objection is that the paper uses an overly broad definition of lockdown as a "compulsory non-pharmaceutical intervention," which fails to distinguish between different policies — mask-wearing, quarantining if sick, curfews, non-essential business closures, shelter-in-place orders, etc. — that entail different degrees of isolation.

Another is that the paper, which looks at 24 previous studies on lockdowns and COVID-19 mortality, excludes any data more recent than April 2021 — before the Delta variant took hold and before the Omicron variant emerged. 

Two widely cited studies from 2020 found that lockdowns prevented or delayed 530 million COVID-19 cases and averted 3.1 million deaths throughout Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Science Media Centre Expert reaction to a preprint looking at the impact of lockdowns, as posted on the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences website
AJMC Controversial Paper Claims COVID-19 "Lockdowns" Had Little Public Health Effect
Reuters Lockdowns saved many lives and easing them is risky, say scientists
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.