They mention the pandemic and lockdowns a few other times in the article. The thing is that's really something that could go in either direction. Has a lethal

They mention the pandemic and lockdowns a few other times in the article. The thing is that's really something that could go in either direction. Has a lethal virus, which is still circulating widely, made deaths go up? Has the lockdown decreased driving, making road deaths fall? Has the strain on the healthcare system meant things like cancers went undiagnosed, making deaths go up? Has the fact the oldest and least healthy people died in the pandemic made post-pandemic deaths go down? Did the boredom of lockdowns drive more people to use hard drugs, making deaths go up? Did the pandemic-triggered rise in remote working let people convert their commute time into exercise time, making deaths go down? Did the pandemic, and seeing other people's response to it, lead to a rise in selfish behaviour like bad driving, making deaths go up? Did work-from-home replace unhealthy on-the-go meals with healthy home-cooked food, reducing obesity and making deaths go down?