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New Study Found Shutdowns Prevented 60M COVID-19 Infections in the U.S.

Empty Manhattan street

The mass shutdowns in the United States and around the world during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic were incredibly challenging, but they saved countless lives.

In two studies published by the British scientific journal Nature, it was found that the shutdowns helped prevent about 60 million COVID-19 infections in the United States and about 285 million in China while the shutdowns also prevented about 3.1 million deaths across Europe.

While this is great news, Samir Bhatt, the senior author of the European study, notes to The Washington Post"only about 3 percent to 4 percent of people in the countries being studied have been infected to date."

Bhatt also said, "This is just the beginning of the epidemic: we’re very far from herd immunity. The risk of a second wave happening if all interventions and precautions are abandoned is very real."

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights