As a resident of Australia, I beg to differ. I live in the state of Victoria, a somewhat more civilised version of North Korea under the present administration. However, there were around 800 deaths in the first few months of the pandemic. Since the first lockdown commenced, very few people have died. We are now on our fourth lockdown, no fun for anyone.
I don't like masks, I don't enjoy the restrictions and I don't plan to have the vaccine. However, open slather is not an option. If you want to know what it could be like, check out India. They were blase about the whole thing and have paid a terrible price.
The death rate is only a part of the problem. Many victims of the virus suffer severe complications. Treatment can be intensive and a great burden on the hospital system. In some countries, health systems simply do not cope. I had a life threatening illness last year. If the hospital had been overwhelmed with COVID patients, I may not have received the excellent care that perhaps saved my life.
Australia is a federation and some states have handled the pandemic better than others. I think Victoria has gone over the top. However, I also think it is preferable to letting 400,000 people die from the disease. That's about 1.5% of Australia's population if you are wondering where I got the figure from.