China's bid to stop Wuhan COVID-19 spread cut deaths elsewhere from other causes: study

A worker wears a mask during a government organised media tour at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. [Reuters]

The number of deaths in China - excluding the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan - fell slightly during the first three months of 2020, suggesting efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 reduced deaths from other causes, a new study showed.

Researchers from the University of Oxford and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), analysed official death registry data from Jan. 1 to March 31 last year for changes in overall and cause-specific deaths.