Sydney, Australia
Reuters
Social distancing and lockdowns in Australia not only slowed the spread of COVID-19, they saved the lives of about 400 people who would have been expected to died in June from respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia, a research paper published on Monday showed.
Examining Australia’s most recent official fatality data, the Actuaries Institute said there was a shortfall between verified deaths and the number expected during the mid-winter month, which it concluded was due to a decline in respiratory illnesses.
A man runs along a waterway after lockdown restrictions were implemented in response to an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Melbourne, Australia, on 10th July. PICTURE: Reuters/Sandra Sanders/File photo.
“It is clear that lockdowns and other COVID-19 control measures have created great hardship for many in Australia. There will surely be medium and long-term consequences for physical and mental health and the economy,” said Jennifer Lang, Convenor of the Actuaries Institute’s COVID-19 Working Group.
“These measures have not only saved very many Australians from COVID-19 disease and death, they have also reduced deaths from a number of other causes.”
Australia in March shut large swathes of its economy, limited the number of people allowed to gather together and shut its international borders to slow the spread of the virus.
While the measures has taken a significant toll on the country’s economy, Australia has so far recorded just over 27,500 COVID-19 infections, far fewer than many other developed countries.
Australia’s economy shrank seven per cent in the three months to the end of June, the biggest quarterly shrinkage since records began in 1959. The unemployment rate hit a 22-year high of 7.5 per cent in July as businesses and borders closed to deal with the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, officials in the state of Victoria on Monday said the state had gone 24 hours without detecting any new COVID-19 cases, a milestone last achieved four months ago, raising hopes that a stringent lockdown of Melbourne will be eased.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday delayed the reopening of the city – home to five million people – amid an outbreak in Melbourne’s north.
Officials said they had tested about 15,000 people in the area and all had come back negative.
“This is one of the best outcomes we could hope to see,” said Jeroen Weimar, Commander of Testing and Community Engagement for Victoria.
Andrews is under intense pressure to lift Melbourne’s lockdown, imposed in July. Businesses and the federal government argue it will delay Australia’s economic rebound.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has highlighted the fact that neighbouring New South Wales state has much looser restrictions despite regularly reporting higher daily case numbers.
Victoria, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the 905 deaths nationally, did not record any new deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours.
