Things moved pretty quickly to pretty comprehensive lockdown here in Czech Republic, including mandatory mask wearing. So far this seem to be effective, with combined death toll currently at 210. In comparison Sweden has almost 10x as much, 2010 dead.
Looks like if more has been done less people could have died, not to mention the alarming news about organ damage, virus resurgence and questionable long term immunity.
I haven't seen any actual data on how big that impact might be, however.
Those countries that lock down and stop a first wave with only a few percent infected are basically betting on the arrival of effective treatment or effective containment.
Those that don’t are betting that containment is impossible and effective treatments and vaccines are a year out at least.
It’s impossible to say which scenario is right but I know I’d place my bet the same as the Swedish state epidemiologist.
“In major parts of Sweden, around Stockholm, we have reached a plateau (in new cases) and we’re already seeing the effect of herd immunity and in a few weeks’ time we’ll see even more of the effects of that. And in the rest of the country, the situation is stable,” Dr. Anders Tegnell, chief epidemiologist at Sweden’s Public Health Agency
Tegnell said sampling and modeling data indicated that 20% of Stockholm’s population is already immune to the virus, and that “in a few weeks’ time we might reach herd immunity and we believe that is why we’re seeing a slow decline in cases, in spite of sampling (testing for the coronavirus) more and more.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/no-lockdown-in-sweden-but-st...