Did Covid Precautions Work?

David Leonhardt: “The answer is surprisingly unclear.”

“Nationwide, the number of official Covid cases has recently been somewhat higher in heavily Democratic areas than Republican areas… That comparison doesn’t fully answer the question, though, because Democratic areas were also conducting more tests, and the percentage of positive tests tended to be somewhat higher in Republican areas.”

“No single statistic offers a definitive answer. When I look at all the evidence, I emerge thinking that liberal areas probably had slightly lower Omicron infection rates than conservative areas. But it is difficult to be sure.”