Letter: A Closer Look at Virus Numbers
by John Plodinec, The Aiken Standard
In Jack DeVine’s March 10 column, he referred to the “Worldometer” data on the effectiveness of mandated restrictions. Let me offer a little more perspective because of the amount of misinformation out there.
Worldometer has developed an index of states’ restrictiveness based on their non-pharmaceutical interventions. Masking and social distancing are not very restrictive; lockdowns are very restrictive, for example. There is no correlation between the degree of restrictions and deaths from COVID-19. None. However, there is a weak correlation (R**2=0.36) between the number of cases and the state’s degree of restrictions, most notably at the low end – masking and social distancing seem to reduce the likelihood you’ll get COVID-19.