Is COVID good for the balance of the Social Security Trust Fund?

There has been a good bit of concern that the Social Security Trust Fund would run out of money to pay retirees. There have been various projections of the exact timing – some say 2040, some say 2075, and some are alarmist and say earlier.

Since a hefty number of elderly people (who received Social Security) died in the last 18 months of COVID, they’re no longer receiving Social Security benefits.

That implies that the Trust Fund isn’t being depleted as quickly because the drawdown has slowed on account of those people.

Hence, my question – Is COVID a net positive for Social Security funding?