Were the lockdowns worth it? Depends how long a vaccine takes

For decades to come, public health officials, academics, and the broader population will debate whether the drastic lockdown measures taken in response to the coronavirus were a necessary action to save lives or a colossal mistake. But the answer to this question will depend heavily on how long it takes to develop an effective vaccine.

The argument in favor of lockdowns has been that COVID-19 is a new, sometimes fatal disease that has no available treatments and a relatively high hospitalization rate. Given that it has a long incubation period and that many people with mild or no symptoms could be carriers, it has been able to spread rapidly.