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<\/figure>\nBy Michael J. Talmo
\nDecember 8, 2025<\/p>\n
An October 30, 2025, study on COVID-19 lockdowns and school closures was published in Health Affairs Scholar.<\/a>It\u2019s <\/em>a sister publication ofHealth Affairs<\/em><\/a> of Oxford University<\/em>, which is one of the most respected peer-reviewed journals in the world and is referred to as the \u201cbible of health policy.\u201d<\/p>\n The title of the study is \u201cThe unintended health effects of US COVID-19 lockdowns: a systematic review.\u201d It found that the lockdowns \u201chad little to no effect on COVID-19 mortality.\u201d It also documented the severe damage that the lockdowns did to people\u2019s physical and mental health. However, as stated in the title, this wasn\u2019t just a single study. It was a systematic review,<\/a> which is a painstaking, thorough analysis of all the peer-reviewed literature on a particular topic. It then selects the best studies and synthesizes them into a single study. A systematic review is considered the gold standard<\/a> in science, the highest level of evidence, because it eliminates bias and looks at the big picture.<\/p>\n The research team reported that their study was \u201cthe first to systematically qualify the health impacts of lockdowns and school closures in the United States.\u201d They found that the lockdowns were implemented based on \u201cvery low quality\u201d evidence regarding their effectiveness and \u201cthat the true infection risk was far lower than early, often unreliable simulation models suggested\u201d (note 59 at the end of this quote references Neil Ferguson\u2019s inaccurate COVID-19 computer modeling). Inaccuracy and flagrant error are standard fare for all computer modeling, as explained here<\/a> and especially here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The research team concluded that lockdowns and school closures in the US \u201ccontributed to significant adverse health effects\u201d and were \u201cconsistent with studies conducted outside the United States.\u201d All of these studies documented increases in anxiety, depression, obesity, food insecurity, unemployment, and overall economic instability. They also emphasized that such measures \u201cmay have inadvertently violated the foundational principles of public health ethics that emphasize justice, equity, and protection of vulnerable populations.\u201d The research team also called for reflection on what level of infectious disease justifies restricting \u201caccess to education and the right to work, which are considered inalienable human rights directly linked to health and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n The entire study can be read here.<\/a><\/p>\n