By Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror
A legislative health committee last week heard presentations by researchers advocating for fewer COVID-19 restrictions who have been touted in conservative circles, including one who said that social distancing measures don’t stop the spread of disease.
Many of the claims, which have taken hold on social media and in the conservative press, have been proven factually inaccurate or met with skepticism by the scientific community.
For example, two of the speakers repeatedly pointed to Sweden, which didn’t impose strict distancing restrictions but also hasn’t seen dramatically higher deaths attributed to COVID-19, as having a more responsible response to the pandemic. Similar talking points have been made by conservative politicians like Republican Sen. Rand Paul.
However, Sweden’s overall death rate is actually higher than some of its neighboring countries and far greater in 2020 than expected.
The special May 14 House Health and Human Services Committee meeting, which was organized and convened by Chairwoman Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, did not include any presentations from the Arizona Department of Health Services or other public health experts.
