The way deaths are counted can be very different. Overstated if just "present on death certificate", understated if only cases "confirmed by positive test".
I think they should also be looked at in context of 'excess deaths' numbers which are probably not generally available for most countries.
If you take the view that a vaccine might not be found, or might not arrive timeously, then the death rate becomes a key comparison. That is also a minefield. The mortality on confirmed cases varies massively, which is not necessarily a guide to effectiveness of case management. What you really need is death rate of infections, and generally nobody has an up to date number for infections. New York has done some random testing to estimate infection levels, and a programme of 20,000 is planned for UK.
Again, 'More or Less' is worth a listen. 'Testing truth, fatality rates, obesity risk and trampolines'
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000htw2
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