The Zero COVID policy was implemented by China, wherein mass testing and strict quarantine measures were used to prevent the spread of outbreaks.

However, since the end of 2022, the policy has been lifted.

In the two months since the lifting of the policy, an estimated 1.87 million excess deaths have been reported.

This study was conducted based on obituary notices for three major Chinese universities from December 2022 to January 2023.

The authors created a model that extrapolated the findings to the rest of the country.

The number of deaths in Beijing universities increased significantly when compared to expected deaths, increasing by 403% (95% CI, 351% to 461%) and 56% (95% CI, 41% to 73%) in December 2022 and January 2023, respectively.