Covid lockdowns saved millions of lives by reducing bacterial infections: Oxford University-led study

The study has discovered that all countries have witnessed a reduction in invasive bacterial infections between January and May 2020, compared with the previous two years.

An Oxford University-led study has suggested that bacterial diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, may have been reduced by the lockdowns imposed due to Covid-19 in recent times. Co-authored by Professor David Murdoch, an infectious disease expert and Dean of the University of Otago, Christchurch, the study says that global lockdowns cut short the spread of deadly invasive bacterial diseases and potentially saved millions of lives. The most common illnesses caused by invasive bacteria - pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis - are the reasons for deaths worldwide, especially among children and older adults. Like coronavirus, these pathogens are also transmitted via the respiratory route.