Lockdowns..... how does it balance out?

 A thought provoking article...

"Now that the 2020 figures have been properly tallied, there’s still no convincing evidence that strict lockdowns reduced the death toll from Covid-19. But one effect is clear: more deaths from other causes, especially among the young and middle-aged, minorities, and the less affluent."

I suspect this question will be the cause of much discussion, and the theme of many books, over the next few decades.  Well, at least after the current PDB crawl back under their rocks and discussion is once again allowed.

Did the lockdowns save lives overall, or cause more deaths overall?