I'll help you a little. One, don't trust the numbers coming from totalitarian regimes that are geopolitical enemies of the west and, in one case, is responsible for the virus itself. Two, don't trust the numbers of a country which is still rooted in a class system and has tenous control over its huge population, and has many public health issues compared to western nations.
Claiming something is "worst" when you don't have reliable stats is intellectually dishonest. It reflects the analysis you'd like to be true. As to the American numbers, States and even individual hospitals have different ways of recording Covid deaths, thus the controversy between "died from Covid vs. died with Covid. And that's before you even get to trying to determine if there is even any excess mortality in 2020 and if there is, how statistically significant it is.
It's easier for me to prove your statement is dishonest than it would be to prove Trump lied. "People died"? Yes, one unarmed occupier was shot, unnecessarily it would appear, by a capitol officer. One officer was killed in, as yet, not fully understood circumstances. 2 died from poor health and the excitement of the day and one died of vaguely reported injuries in the crush of the crowd (like at many football games and rock concerts). Misleading, at best.
It's pretty ironic that the fight to remove the Nazi Trump has resulted in the election of a smiling, dottering, figurehead who supports so many restrictions on civil liberties.
Dutch the points you make are often not directly addressing the issues. I didnt trust the totalitarian states. I trusted the numbers in the democracies. The US response and fatalities are far above and beyond the others. And the metrics are compared similarly. That's what Hopkins and the CDC do, thus the die from or with is moot unless countries use different standards. And if you look at the excess deaths statistics for USA it is significantly higher than any chance fluctuation. Thus its not just a convenient label. The idea as well of arguing that a single loose fact means all the facts are wrong is also an error in reasoning. The creationists argue that there is not a direct intermediary form between two species, this does not prove creationism is right. And not trusting the data from Russia or China does not mean they had more fatalities than USA.
As far as worst response, maybe you're right (although im looking at you Bolsonaro). But again, I don't admire totalitarian states, thus I consider what informed scientists and people of knowledge do, and know what to do, and to see a country shit itself and actively discard that knowledge and work against it...beyond shocking. Back in Oz my rellies are back out on the beaches and enjoying life, albeit in smaller groups and indoor masks in work places. Thus, going from AVAILABLE data, my statement is still correct. I think your definition of intellectually honest would mean never disclose nor make policy because one would never have the absolute level of certainty that seems to be required to move forward or make changes. But you're right, it was a value statement.
Also, people did die. Thus when i say people died, they did. You may not find it relevant or important. I do. And it did happen. Thus it is not misleading. And, my opinion is many more would have had the congresspeople not escaped. People shouting to hang Pence and kill Pelosi. Equipped with zip ties and stun guns. Setting up the scaffold to hang as in the Turner diaries. Just out having fun. Stealing stuff and shitting in the halls. All based on an unproven alllegation made before the actual vote was even taken. By the same bloke who made the same allegation in 2016, both vs Hilary and again when he lost a primary to Cruz.
And so dottering figurehead are your own opinions and there is no data to suggest someone else is pushing his agenda (which he ran on, and defeated all other Dems on). And its not what I've seen, although I'll agree he lost a step from 2008. Previous bloke was entirely shit for brains conman. Current bloke knows how govt actually works. Trusts science. Knows to hire good qualified people and let them handle their portfolios. That's how you run an effective large organisation. Surrounding yourself with yes men and presuming you know more than anyone on any topic is exactly how not to. Again, as a business example compare Bloomberg organisation to the Trump organisation. The new bloke runs more like Bloomberg, thus I'll give him a go and see what happens.
And the civil liberties is about saving lives. Banning indoor smoking was also an affront to civil liberties. But there was a compelling public health reason. Same with stop signs, they too impose upon our civil liberties. Same with masks - they are as much about your health as the health of others through your asymptomatic spreading of the virus. Just like second hand smoke. You dont have the right to subject others to your smoke. Now - you start firing people for saying "she" when a person wanted to be referred to as "they" - then I'm with you and I turn on the new bloke.
Btw these civil liberty restrictions were much more draconian in Oz, but we're in much better shape there now than most countries. For a while you could only get takeaway from the brothels lol. But they waived the outcall fee as a public service after the 2 week shut down a few months past. Brothels back open in Sydney.