A better way to compare is excess deaths over seasonal average (or last year's seasonal statistic) per million. That does not tell you exactly how many died of covid-19, but is a more useful comparison.
Agreed that’s the better metric, but there is a long lag before mortality statistics are complete in most places. Most jurisdictions report a lower number immediately, and then continue to revise it up for weeks or even months. If you don’t adjust for this it will look like the jurisdictions that complete their reporting most quickly are the hardest-hit.
