California is breaking state records for COVID-19 cases and deaths despite the state’s strict lockdown measures implemented by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.
California broke its statewide records for both coronavirus cases reported and deaths reported in a single day on Wednesday.
The state reported 51,724 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 42,088 cases, which was just set on Monday, according to a Los Angeles Times tally.
California also reported 393 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 295 deaths, which was set on Tuesday.
The bleak news comes as Newsom has continued to impose some of the strictest lockdown measures in the country in response to the virus.
Many residents of the state are faced with a 10 p.m. curfew, bans on both outdoor and indoor dining, limitations to religious gatherings, and school closures. A WalletHub survey in August found that California had the most restrictive measures of any state, which have since gotten even more strict amid a wave of cases in the state.
Despite the strict lockdowns, states like California are not getting the desired results from their policies. One reason for this failure could be that research has shown that there is little correlation between strict lockdown policies and COVID-19 mortality rates.
From the Foundation for Economic Education:
A study published on July 21 in The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal founded in 1823, indicated that government lockdowns were ineffective.
Researchers collected data from the 50 countries with the most cases and found lockdowns were not associated with mortality reductions in critical COVID-19 cases, although factors such as obesity, smoking, and life expectancy were.
Similarly, a study published by Frontiers in Public Health several months after The Lancet paper found neither lockdowns nor lockdown stringency were correlated with lower death rates. Researchers crunched data from 160 countries over the first 8 months of the pandemic, testing numerous factors—such as public health, demographics, government policy, economy, and environment—to determine how each correlated with COVID-19 mortality.
Is it any wonder then that Newsom himself doesn’t seem to believe in his own restrictions. In November, the governor was photographed dining in an upscale French restaurant with people from multiple households while not wearing a mask, breaking his own virus protocols.
Newsom has pressed on with his policies despite this, recently announcing that four of California’s five regions would continue to be saddled with his stay-at-home orders.
