I don’t think any of us know for certain what’s causing the excess deaths but it could also be the virus itself. Maybe not directly killing people in huge numbers anymore but the after effects of the virus, the way it attacked major organs? The fact people were unable to get early medical help for all kinds of things for a year or 18 months wouldn’t have helped either.
I couldn’t find the report but I have seen multiple references to it, with the likes of The Telegraph using it to attack junior doctors.
I did see something about children’s eyesight being worse as a result of the lockdowns. As they weren’t going outside and looking into the distance whilst their eyes were growing, their eyes didn’t grow in the right way and they are now, on average, more short sighted than they’ve ever been.
Not reading too much into the paper disappearing yet - quite common for scientific papers if someone questions the data or findings, so it is not necessarily sinister. Might be a case of checking and resubmitting, or it could be permanent.
Excess deaths have definitely risen, though, so why that is happening is the important question. Like you, I suspect that delays to medical tests and procedures will be a huge factor in this - and we cannot underestimate the effects of economic depressions, losing jobs, and social isolation on physical and mental health. These were all just some of the long-term effects predicted by some during the cycle of lockdowns - would surprise me more if excess deaths hadn't risen, to be honest. The long term effects were not discussed anywhere near enough.
Of course, some are pointing to the vaccines - I have my own views on that but I am waiting until more data emerges.