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The benefits of coronavirus suppression: A cost-benefit analysis of the response to the first wave of COVID-19 in the United States
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 6, p e0252729 (2021), PLoS ONE
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2021.
-
Abstract
- This paper estimates the benefits and costs of state suppression policies to “bend the curve” during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States. We employ an approach that values benefits and costs in terms of additions or subtractions to total production. Relative to a baseline in which only the infected and at-risk populations mitigate the spread of coronavirus, we estimate that total benefits of suppression policies to economic output are between $632.5 billion and $765.0 billion from early March 2020 to August 1, 2020. Relative to private mitigation, output lost due to suppression policies is estimated to be between $214.2 billion and $331.5 billion. The cost estimate is based on the duration of nonessential business closures and stay-at-home orders, which were enforced between 42 and 65 days. Our results indicate that the net benefits of suppression policies to slow the spread of COVID-19 are positive and may be substantial. We discuss uncertainty surrounding several parameters and employ alternative methods for valuing mortality benefits, which also suggest that suppression measures had positive net benefits.
- Subjects :
- 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak
Viral Diseases
Critical Care and Emergency Medicine
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Cost estimate
Infectious Disease Control
Pulmonology
Natural resource economics
Death Rates
Epidemiology
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Science
Physical Distancing
Social Distancing
Respiratory Disorders
Medical Conditions
Population Metrics
Respiratory Failure
Economics
Medicine and Health Sciences
Production (economics)
Humans
Public and Occupational Health
Duration (project management)
Baseline (configuration management)
Pandemics
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Alternative methods
Multidisciplinary
Cost–benefit analysis
Population Biology
SARS-CoV-2
Commerce
Biology and Life Sciences
COVID-19
Covid 19
Socioeconomic Aspects of Health
United States
Health Care
Infectious Diseases
Age Groups
Medical Risk Factors
People and Places
Quarantine
Medicine
Population Groupings
Research Article
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 16
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....10e5e50da91ceaa24a772b4359787877