Health & Fitness

Local COVID-19 Shutdowns Helped To Save Thousands Of Lives, According To Wash U

Researchers found the public health orders issued in St. Louis City to slow the spread of the respiratory virus saved thousands of lives.

(Neal McNamara/Patch)

September 2, 2021

Local shutdowns early in the COVID-19 pandemic helped to save thousand of lives, according to research from Washington University.

Find out what's happening in St. Louisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In the study published Wednesday, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine found the emergency public health orders issued in St. Louis and St. Louis County to slow the spread of the novel respiratory virus likely saved thousands of lives.

The first known COVID case in St. Louis County was reported on March 7, 2020. Within the following 16 days, the city and county had banned large gatherings, closed restaurants, ordered public schools closed and issued a shelter-in-place order. By June 15, 2020 there were 2,246 hospitalizations and 482 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Find out what's happening in St. Louisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.


CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective.