In a recent gathering of Hoosiers who had fought against Covid-19 mandates, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita made a startling revelation: the state's Covid-19 data was wrong. Rokita's analysis, presented in his report titled “Analysis of Covid-19,” exposed inflated death counts and positivity rates that were used to justify lockdowns and other restrictive measures. The report aimed to correct these wrongs and shed light on the devastating consequences of the lockdowns.
Rokita's report revealed that the Indiana Department of Health had vastly inflated death counts by including deaths from unrelated causes, such as drownings and automobile accidents, as Covid-19 deaths. The state also failed to account for deaths that occurred as a result of its own lockdown policies. Furthermore, Rokita discovered that the state's Covid-19 positivity rates were unsound, with errors attributed to counting every test as a separate case and the failure to conduct randomly selected testing.
The consequences of the lockdowns were found to be worse than the Covid-19 crisis itself. Rokita cited a systematic review and meta-analysis by Johns Hopkins University, which showed that lockdowns and other mitigation policies only reduced Covid-19 mortality by an estimated 0.2 percent on average. Meanwhile, these measures caused enormous economic and social harms. Indiana ranked 31st in Covid deaths and 29th for job loss among states. Additionally, a study by the Indiana Health Department revealed that three out of every ten Indiana students had considered suicide.
The report also highlighted the detrimental effects of Covid mandates on young people. National statistics showed that Covid mandates caused more deaths among 18- to 45-year-olds than Covid-19 did, including deaths from suicide, overdoses, and alcoholism. The pandemic also severely impacted education, with reading test scores dropping significantly and math scores declining by the largest margin ever recorded on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Rokita's report provided much-needed oversight of the governor and health departments that implemented Covid orders. Hoosiers who had been affected by these mandates, including local elected officials, activists, and anti-lockdown candidates, applauded Rokita for his efforts. They were grateful that someone was finally challenging the flawed data and policies that had tormented them.
However, the governor denied any mistakes and accused those questioning the reporting of spreading misinformation. Despite Rokita's skepticism being proven right, a previous attempt to review the governor's Covid response was unsuccessful. The Republican-controlled General Assembly even rewarded the state health department for its missteps by approving a significant increase in public health funding.
Rokita's report is not the only one revisiting the devastating effects of Covid and seeking better public health decision-making. Dr. Scott Atlas and a team of experts released their retrospective report titled “Covid Lessons Learned: A Retrospective After Four Years.” One crucial lesson highlighted in the report is that leaders should calm public fears instead of stoking them. The report also revealed that excess deaths from lockdowns and societal panic are estimated at about 100,000 per year in the United States.
The findings from Rokita's report and others like it emphasize the need for accurate data and sound decision-making to prevent future tragedies associated with government health policies. Lockdown mistakes must be acknowledged and learned from to ensure they are not repeated. State officials should recognize that saving lives and the economy are interdependent and should not be treated as opposing choices.
In conclusion, Attorney General Todd Rokita's analysis of Indiana's Covid-19 data has exposed significant flaws in death counts and positivity rates. His report highlights the devastating consequences of lockdowns, including economic and social harms, increased suicide rates among students, and declines in education. Rokita's efforts provide much-needed oversight of the governor and health departments responsible for implementing Covid orders. The report serves as a reminder that accurate data and sound decision-making are crucial in preventing future tragedies associated with government health policies.
