Was/Is A Lockdown Necessary?

Since the pandemic began, there have been a number of people claiming that the lockdowns have not been necessary. In recent weeks and months, the number of people making these statements have increased.

I’m not going to bother addressing those ignorant enough to still be claiming that the pandemic is not real. They’re not worth the effort and the only thing which will convince them would be if they were themselves on a mechanical ventilator. No, I will not respond to comments from these people. I have better things to do with my time and brain cells.

Most of those claiming no lockdown was necessary will point to Sweden as an example of a country that has not locked down and allegedly avoided major consequences. Except this is not true. In fact, Sweden has had the worst outcome of all Nordic countries and among the worst outcomes in Europe. The numbers quoted to make the outcome more attractive have been intentionally skewed by low rates of testing and the actual denial of intensive care treatment for the elderly most at risk for mortality and major complication, leading to extraordinarily high mortality rates for nursing home patients. “Health authorities in Sweden issued a directive stipulating certain groups of patients should be left out of intensive care. These…