Nevertheless, now would be a better time to do a comparison. As in 'how many people died in the UK on April 14th 2019?' and 'how many people dies in the UK on April 14th 2020?' Even allowing for your 'long chalk' argument, I am confident the difference in numbers would show how serious the virus was.
Surely, you are not still trying to say that this is principally a media event? Or are you?