Unfortunately, we can’t measure how many people have survived due to lowered/slowed spread of COVID. Maybe less than 4, maybe more.<p>We could argue that the few people who burn to death in car accidents prove that seat belts are a bad idea, because we can’t see the actual deaths prevented by belts would have happened without them. You might think you were saved, but you’ll never really know. The toxic waste produced by batteries taken from smoke detectors and burnt in incinerators or escaped/escaping in the future may take more lives than the smoke detectors ever saved.<p>So, interesting to note, and truly sad. Worse than the alternative? Truly can’t say.