Lockdowns only slightly postponed deaths in New Zealand

Abstract

The Level 4 lockdown imposed on March 25 2020 in New Zealand was the world’s most restrictive set of closure and containment policies at the time. While designed to deal with Covid-19, it was soon noted by public health academics that all-cause mortality fell below historical rates about five weeks after the lockdown restrictions began. This poster examines the question of how long was the postponement of deaths following the interventions in 2020.