Given how quickly forecasts were cut from 200,000 to 60,000 it is likely those estimates of millions of deaths were never correct. However, for the sake of argument lets assume that it was accurate and 2 million would have died. We can estimate the value of those lives saved using the value of statistical life that the EPA has for evaluating the effect of regulations[1]. Adjusting for inflation gives a value of $9.5 million today. Saving 2 million lives at 9.5 million per life gives a value of $19 trillion. The 2008 Great Recession cost Americans $22 trillion[2]. Many expect the recession now to be worse than the 2008 financial crisis[3][4].

[1] https://www.epa.gov/environmental-economics/mortality-risk-v...

[2] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/financial-crisis-cost-gao_n_2...

[3] https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/18/coronavirus-economic-cr...

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=58&v=v_-ZY1QAr2g

It was probably the right thing because it was conceivable to end up with 30 million pneumonia victims and no way to treat them all. But we shouldn't forget we had to waste 0.1% of all 328 million lives (one month/78.54 years under house arrest) and counting.

> But we shouldn't forget we had to waste 0.1% of all 328 million lives (one month/78.54 years under house arrest) and counting.

It's only a waste if you need to waste it. I'm sure plenty of people are using this time to be productive doing things they would otherwise not have the time to do.

I’m not under house arrest. I’m working from home with my family around me. I’m actually enjoying it for the most part. We’ve picked up baking, started going on walks together as a family. It’s not anything like dying for a month or whatever weird equivalence you’re trying to draw.

They have made a calculation based completely on productivity and effect on GDP. The USA lost 1 month of "critical" productivity and we only have time with children, a resurgence of baking and netflix watched lists to show for it. That you and your family weren't part of the "dead" statistics didn't even factor into their equations.

not going to work != wasting life

Like many of us, I'm working from home. It's the rest of life that we're locked in from.