How have COVID‐19 stringency measures changed scholarly activity?

Government restrictions to the movement of people due to the COVID‐19 pandemic have had a wide range of effects on scientific activity. Here, we show that during the pandemic there has been a reduction in the number of registered non‐COVID‐19 clinical trials. Furthermore, using the Oxford COVID‐19 Government Response Tracker Stringency Index (SI) as an indicator of COVID‐19–related workplace adjustment (e.g., restrictions on gatherings, workplace closures, and stay‐at‐home orders), we demonstrate that this drop in clinical trial registration has been greater in countries with a higher SI. This could have significant consequences for the discovery of treatments that are required to reduce the global burden of disease.