Lockdown (in whatever form works) equals less dead people and a quicker recovery.
First of all, it is better to look at years of life lost (YLL) instead of just lives lost. I know nobody is doing that, because the media don't tell them to, but it really is better.
Second: All lockdowns, except the first, should be considered an
admission of failure. In Europe, they had seven months to prepare for the winter wave - which, according to their own projections, would be horrific - but they didn't. There was no real, organised plan (except perhaps for a focus on contact-tracing, that obviously wouldn't work because of asymptomatic cases). Just like they let their neoliberal policies squeeze health care systems and make the population sick and weak through unhealthy, addictive foods and polluted urban environments for decades, they were not interested in investing in this 'war' against SARS-CoV-2, which would come much cheaper than shutting down whole economies. None of the things were done that would be done if there was a war on. They used the word 'war', but they completely failed to act on it.
In other words, the politicians let it happen. The politicians failed on purpose, because they knew that any criticism would be suppressed by their faithful partners from the mainstream media, you know #standunited. The purpose probably has to do with things like further reducing the middle class to serfdom, strengthening Big Tech monopolies, tightening surveillance in the war against populism, creating a scapegoat for the massive global recession that was coming anyway (because no changes since 2008), etc.
All to grow and further concentrate concentrated wealth (until it destroys itself).
