COVID Lockdown Insanity: The COVID Deaths It Prevented, The Depression and Suicides It Caused, What We Should Have Done, and What It Shows We Could Do Now to Address Real Crises

by Hugh McTavish

How does a nation, a world, respond to one of the great existential crisis of our times? With the logic of a lawyer and the scientific expertise of an immunologist, Hugh McTavish, J.D., Ph.D., walks us through the COVID-19 pandemic in both scientific and human terms, beyond the simple metrics of case and death counts to the far more devastating consequences of our social response to this disease. His careful review of the scientific evidence related to COVID-19 transmission and his analysis of the human and economic costs of our lockdown response to this scourge reveal both the distressing dysfunctionality of our governing elite as well as an unexpected path forward to making enlightened policy decisions that offer the hope of solutions to our greatest and most enduring national and global challenges.

Genres: Nonfiction

294 pages, Paperback

Published June 4, 2021

Reviews

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author has a PhD in Biochemistry and is a self-proclaimed immunologist. It should be made clear that he is a researcher and not a clinician, meaning that unlike medical immunologists, he did NOT attend medical school, do 3 years of internal medicine residency & then a 2-year immunology fellowship.

The book tries to argue that the prevention of covid deaths (which the author says mostly just occurred in the sick & elderly & so apparently didn’t matter much) was not worth the lock-down. But the arguments are flawed with extrapolations. Plus, there is no consideration for long covid the complications of the illness, notably long-covid with its disabling fatigue, or the various neurological sequelae such as GBS or stroke (often in young people). And he argues that dying early but happy trumps living unhappily in lockdown and having to wear masks. He places a lot of emphasis on how happiness depends on socializing, (and apparently hasn’t spoken with many introverts or considered that we are unhappy when our friends or family are sick or deceased from covid). He also shares his views on other topics, including his dangerous opinions about the vaccine and masks.

The writing is easy to read and not overly scientific, though there are slow sections that are bogged down with numbers. His tone is very casual, describing things as “dumb” or stupid”, and some of his arguments are supported by lyrics from popular songs or even God, and his references include Wikipedia, twitter, and a dated scientific journal article (that is more than 40 years old).

The book will be enjoyed by those who were similarly opposed to the lock-down as the book would support their views. These are probably the folks who inappropriately wear their face masks so that it doesn’t cover the nose. For the rest of us, I doubt the book will convert anyone. If anything, it might make you angry.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a free copy of this book

[Dan Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are Fauci Fan, you may feel directly challenged by this book. But it won't be because of the author's opinion, rather by the facts & stats presented. With such an incredibly important subject that has been subject to media narratives, it is refreshing to take an objective look at the situation and be able to decide on the matter yourself. This book gives you the tools to do just that. Highly recommended!!!

[Rachel D’Onofrio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a Goodreads Giveaway copy of the book. It was scientific and yet easy to read for a layperson. I disagreed with most of the premises of the book but did see where some misconceptions came from. The author says he tried to be objective, yet I only consistently saw data from one side. I do not think I would recommend this, but it was interesting to broaden my views. Also, as a teacher, I think he trivialized teachers' concerns to returning to full in person instruction.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will be controversial and some may dismiss it before giving it a chance. For those people who are able to read it with an open mind, you will find that the information laid out is well researched and incredibly informative. Definitely recommend!

[Tracey P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through the goodreads draw.

I’m hesitant to pick up anything covid-related since the illness was politicized. I also picked it up knowing it could already be out of date since covid is science in progress.

I think there were good points made in this book but there were a couple of issues. I think comparisons between the reactions of and numbers in different states would have provided a better frame of comparison than foreign companies. Culturally, comparing different areas of the country would have provided more compelling data.

I also felt relying on just a few sources to support an entire chapter was lazy research, especially when the source could be as simple as a single newspaper article.

I disagreed with a lot of the book but I still think reading it was valuable. I agree that the lockdowns had a significant impact on mental health. I think that’s an issue we’ll be dealing for years as kids grow up with delayed social and mental milestones.

This book didn’t convince me that lockdowns were unnecessary but it does bring up valuable questions about the unanticipated consequences.

[Susan Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows some of the misconceptions during covid.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to start by saying that this is an important collection of research and you should make an effort to read it. I'm sure McTavish had a tough time bringing this to press, and the unfortunate printing layout makes it even more of a challenge than just finding the book itself.
McTavish makes the point, through extensive metaresearch, that the COVID-19 lockdowns, mask mandates, social distancing, and "quarantining" of the healthy caused more harm than good. And much of this harm will have lasting consequences. We are experiencing a legacy of depression and suicide far out of proportion to the lives (or life-days) saved.
While I don't agree with him across the board, I do respect his scientific cred, and find his conclusions regarding our national response to COVID-19 sound.
Then, and it is his book, so he can go where he wants with it, he expounds on what we should do with this newfound willingness to sacrifice our freedoms for some collective goal, turning to issues such as habitat loss, eliminating racism, fighting climate change, etc. While I may or may not agree with said goals, the flaw in the logic to me is that everything we agreed to during the initial pandemic response was always sold as temporary. The commitment needed for the proposals he puts forward for these societal issues are permanent. I think this book was completed before the widespread rejection of lockdowns and masks had taken hold. I really don't see a repeat of that level of compliance, particularly for such long-term goals that most will experience as more pain than gain in their lifetimes. And, the whole thesis of the rest of the book is that unquestioningly going along with government mandates has done irreparable harm, so let's do more of it?
He does put forth some recommendations on facilitating a happier society, too. While these also hold some appeal, I fear a slippery slope. Yes, we should all get more exercise, interact with others more, get off the screens more, and have pets, but mandating same seems a bit over the top (not to mention distinctly un-American), and maybe he was just kidding a la Jonathan Swift.

[Daphne Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to review, just like anything related to COVID. Someone is going to be upset no matter what you do or say. I think the author did a good job looking into his sources and questioning things we've all been told. No matter where you stand, you can't deny that many of the "experts" have been wrong, either because they didn't have complete information or they were lying intentionally for power grabs. So it was nice to see just straight numbers. There were many studies that McTavish pointed out that were interesting, and I appreciated his emphasis on washing hands and basic hygiene (something still shockingly lacking in our society). I did disagree with some of his conclusions based on the numbers--some of it seemed like surprisingly dramatic leaps, and even on a reread, I couldn't understand how he landed where he did. And of course, if you only think emotionally and ignore the inevitability of death, you might be quite offended by the way he flippantly talks about human lives (I was at times as well). So while I enjoyed seeing the statistics, I didn't always agree with McTavish's conclusions.

The other thing I did not enjoy was how the last section of the book devolved into his personal rant about climate issues (something he is absolutely not an expert in). It was . . . strange. Unexpected and a bit boring to read. I skimmed through that. Also, I was confused by the way he claimed to be a part of a Christian denomination (even on the board of a church!) but articulated pantheistic views that are anti-Christian. I'm not here to judge his personal beliefs; it was just that, especially toward the end, the coherency of his arguments and beliefs seemed to dissolve. Even though I agreed with some points at the beginning, I feel like he shot his credibility by speaking into issues he clearly didn't know about. So there are some things from this book for me to think about and research further, but overall it was just kind of "meh."

(I received a free copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Though I am under no obligation to post a review as part of the giveaway, I am providing my honest feedback to thank the publisher for the free book.)

[Samuel Saul Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.

This was . . . Something, that's for sure. The majority of the book is dedicated to an analysis of our COVID lockdown and how, regardless of the opinions of the disease, our response to it almost definitely caused more harm than good. It also covers the disease itself and whether it actually was as bad as described and includes many theories and analysis (which I am not weighing one way or the other, he's got a Ph.D and is a dissenting opinion from the majority so I might as well hear it out). It wasn't the most well-written but at a minimum it asks some questions that really need(ed) to be discussed about our COVID response.

There are also a variety of chapters that seem to be musings on a variety of topics, some are interesting, some are not. It is completely all over the place at times with one chapter being extremely radically authoritarian and another being very libertarian. It's an interesting read.

#SelfTaughtPolitics

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't handle the data! And the data sure looks like the lockdowns and mask mandates were insane and we should have focused on personal responsibility and washing our hands like you would treat any flu. The author had a lot of interesting points and ideas but lost me on overpopulation nonsense.

[Jenn Markham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on the pandemic, I appreciate all the sourced material to add to his credibility. I also liked the humor/personality that shined through. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes statistics, who's interested in the effects of the pandemic.

[Kay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway and found it immensely interesting. It broadened my understanding of the extensive consequences of this pandemic and government overreach.

[anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

did not understand the book at all. won a giveaway from goodreads

[Catherine Sewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative with lots of statistics and graphs for reference.