Save Lives And Avoid A Catastrophic Recession
An Imperial College landmark study on death impacts from different policies helped change the minds of both President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson toward the implementation of lockdown policies. It showed that without any policies, the coronavirus would kill half a million people in the UK and 2.2 million in the US.
Unrestricted corona means most people get sick at the same time, entirely overwhelming the health care system. If no restrictions had been implemented, corona infections would peak in early June in the UK, with 280,000 sick people needing hospitalization, but only 8,000 beds available. That is why it is crucial to “flatten the curve.” Policies to reduce the speed of infection can help spread out when people get sick and make hospital beds available for more people who need it.