"The US could have avoided almost 250,000 Covid-19 deaths if every state had adopted stricter mask and vaccine requirements seen in the Northeast..."

"... during the height of the pandemic, according to a new study.... 'These study findings do not support the views of those opposing COVID-19 restrictions who erroneously believe the restrictions did not work,' [writes University of Virginia public policy and economics professor Christopher J Ruhm]. 'To the contrary, the package of policies implemented by some states probably saved many lives. If all states had imposed restrictions similar to those used in the 10 most restrictive states, excess deaths would have been an estimated 10% to 21% lower than the 1.18 million that actually occurred during the 2-year analysis period.'..."

From "Stricter Covid mask rules could’ve saved hundreds of thousands of lives, new study finds/Restrictions in Northeastern states likely ‘saved many lives’ say researchers" (Independent).