United with Israel

Distancing, Not Lockdowns, Prevents Covid Deaths, Say Israeli Researchers

social distancing

Israeli students wearing facemasks and keeping social distance on May 3, 2020 in Jerusalem. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

New research suggests the most important factor for decreasing mortality is how quickly social-distancing measures are implemented.

By Brian Blum, ISRAEL21c

As many countries confront a resurgence of Covid-19 infection, Israel has chosen the lockdown direction. Parts of Australia – Melbourne in particular – have been under coronavirus restrictions since the beginning of August. Regions of France, Spain and the UK have reintroduced partial lockdowns as well.

New research from Tel Aviv University based on mobility data collected from iPhone users and published this week in preprint form on the website medRxiv argues that rigorous lockdowns may not save lives.

The authors say the most important factor for decreasing mortality (number of deaths) –as opposed to morbidity, the number of infections — is how quickly social-distancing measures are implemented.

They found no statistical correlation between the severity of a lockdown and the number of Covid-19 fatalities in the country.

“We would have expected to see fewer Covid-19 fatalities in countries with a tighter lockdown, but the data reveals that this is not the case,” the researchers explain.

“Mobility data indicates that a hermetic lockdown, in which everyone must stay at home, is unnecessary,” said Prof. Tal Pupko, head of the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, and Prof. Itay Mayrose of TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences. “What we need is fast implementation of social distancing.”

Pupko and Mayrose looked at iPhone data showing the extent of mobility — the average number of citizens traveling by vehicle –on a specific day in each of the OECD countries studied. They then adjusted that data to the size of the population and typical mobility patterns in that country.

There was an all-around decrease in mobility starting in March. However, what was important was the date on which a country implemented social-distancing measures.

For example, mobility data indicates that the time it took to respond to the pandemic and the severity of the lockdown were similar in Israel and the Czech Republic. However, even though Israel’s lockdown was longer than that in Czechia, the two countries’mortality rates remained similar.

Another example: The lockdown in Spain was longer and tighter than the French closure, but when both ended, mortality rates in the two countries were about the same, since both started social distancing at around the same time.

A delay of 7.49 days in introducing social-distancing measures doubled mortality, the researchers discovered.

“Israel could have reached the same mortality rate with a lockdown that was less economically and socially lethal – in the first round and probably in the present outbreak as well,” the scientists say.

“Countries that responded quickly with social-distancing measures – not necessarily with a tight lockdown – ultimately emerged from the first outbreak with better results. Even in Sweden, a country that never imposed a lockdown, we can see that the early decrease in mobility, starting in March, was manifested in the mortality rate.”

The researchers note that their study “is based purely on observations and does not relate to the premises of any existing epidemiological model.”

Gil Loewenthal, Shiran Abadi, Oren Avram, Keren Halabi, Noa Ecker and Nathan Nagar of TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences also participated in the research. The paper has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

HELP ISRAELIS BATTLE CORONA!

Donate to the Corona Emergency Relief Fund. Coronavirus has taken a huge toll on the people of Israel. The poor, elderly and ill are most vulnerable.

Israeli soldiers, security officers and medical care providers operate under great danger and risk to life.

Over 1 million Israelis are out of work. Many cannot make ends meet. We provide financial aid, food, medical supplies and more. Funds are distributed where needed most. The time to act is now!

United with Israel extends a special note of appreciation to the Genesis Prize for their generous support.

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TODAY!

Do You Love Israel? Make a Donation - Show Your Support!

Donate to vital charities that help protect Israeli citizens and inspire millions around the world to support Israel too!

Now more than ever, Israel needs your help to fight and win the war -- including on the battlefield of public opinion.

Antisemitism, anti-Israel bias and boycotts are out of control. Israel's enemies are inciting terror and violence against innocent Israelis and Jews around the world. Help us fight back!

STAND WTH ISRAEL - MAKE A DONATION TODAY!

Exit mobile version