Social distancing works, and a new study shows just how critical this anti-contagion measure is in helping to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The study revealed that if we didn’t practice social distancing in the United States, we would have experienced 4.8 million more confirmed coronavirus cases and 40 million more total infections. The research, published in Nature, also included the impact of social distancing in other countries, such as China, South Korea, Iran, Italy and France.

According to Axios, the authors of the study found social distancing prevented over 530 million total infections in these six countries. They also noted that how quickly governments implemented social distancing measures had a powerful effect on health outcomes.

Dr. Richard Finley, professor of emergency medicine at the The University of Mississippi Medical Center, who has studied the factors that influence the course of the pandemic, said:
“The key is to minimize person-to-person transmission, especially among people who do not normally interact with each other."

He added that social distancing is the most important tool we have right now in slowing COVID-19 transmission and saving lives.

“If you stop social distancing measures too early, you could see a rebound in the number of cases,” he said, according to UMMC.