University of Georgia researchers say fears of a major rebound in infectious diseases after COVID-19 lockdowns did not fully materialize, and sexually transmitted infections, in particular, remained unexpectedly low. In a study published in Science, UGA’s Tobias Brett and Pejman Rohani analyzed national disease data from 2019 to 2023 to assess how pandemic-era distancing affected transmission patterns once restrictions lifted.
Airborne illnesses such as influenza and pertussis did rise after lockdowns ended, but those increases did not erase the unusually low case counts seen during COVID-19 restrictions. “The fears of a rebound were valid, but the rebound didn’t cancel out the deficit,” said Brett, a senior research associate at UGA’s Odum School of Ecology.
Meanwhile, cases of sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, dropped during the pandemic and stayed below expected levels. Researchers say more study is needed to understand why STI rates remained suppressed long after normal social behaviors resumed.
