What is the economic cost of not going to #ZeroCOVID?

Some countries are enjoying normal life, minimal restrictions except limitations on international travel. Domestic economies are thriving and even tourism benefits from local travel.

Let’s look at several reports:

1/
Boston Consulting Group Report

“the sooner a country can limit the spread of the virus…the shorter the period that the economy will be frozen, and the sooner people can get back to work”

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1320791484447285249?s=20

2/
International Monetary Fund Report

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1315642546215948288?s=20

3/
McKinsey Report #1

Ending lockdowns alone won’t restore confidence or growth. Only when the novel coronavirus is under control will economic growth resume.

4/

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/covid-19-saving-thousands-of-lives-and-trillions-in-livelihoods
Financial times: "New Zealand, Inc. reaps benefit of hard and fast Covid lockdown"

7/

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1326594585305505795?s=20
Here is a letter from a business group in Australia to the government to influence their policies. It worked!

https://twitter.com/JosephNWalker/status/1242057927231287303?s=20

9/
Epidemiologist and Economist:

"To save lives and the economy, we need another lockdown.

Dr. Osterholm, Director Center for Infectious Disease, University of Minnesota.

Mr. Kashkari, President Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/opinion/coronavirus-lockdown-unemployment-death.html

10/
It is always better to act sooner than later.

Economic rational behavior: If you are willing to lock down for a number of cases, you should also be willing to lockdown for fewer cases, the cost is always lower.

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1307059336175288321?s=20

11/
Data: No tradeoff between health and economics.

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1306583936374538242?s=20

12/
Research shows many people don’t want to risk their lives or weeks in the hospital (surprise!) so the economy doesn’t recover with COVID

"COVID-19 Doesn’t Need Lockdowns to Destroy Jobs" National Bureau of Economic Research

13/

https://doi.org/10.3386/w27264 
More research showing people don’t want to risk their lives or weeks in the hospital so the economy doesn’t recover with COVID

Fear, Lockdown, and Diversion: Comparing Drivers of Pandemic Economic Decline 2020, National Bureau of Economic Research

14/

https://doi.org/10.3386/w27432 
Stopping COVID means the economy recovers because NORMAL life is restored

The vast majority of business people I have spoken to understand this

The business community, including the most vulnerable businesses, should push hardest for elimination

Asking for support is OK

15/
The time it takes is important to know

From experience, going all out, it takes 3-4 weeks to reduce cases/day by 100X

From 100,000 to 1,000

From 1,000 to 10

Substantial drop

2-3 more weeks and the country can open up

This has been done

Needed: Leadership & cooperation
IBEC podcast https://twitter.com/ibec_irl/status/1357669951453200384?s=20
Our paper on lowest-cost pandemic conditions showing the lowest cost is for fewest cases.

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1357394268592168962?s=20

#ZeroCovid

Links for pdf
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.04758 
https://necsi.edu/lowest-cost-virus-suppression
https://endcoronavirus.org/papers/lowest-cost-virus-suppression
You can follow @yaneerbaryam.
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