Matter of perspective I guess. Deaths directly from COVID also depend on the actions taken in response to the pandemic, so in both cases they are (potentially avoidable) consequences of the pandemic and societies reaction to it.
But which? That's an extremely important distinction because the correct response might be further lockdowns or the exact opposite. Merely knowing there were four million excess deaths, while tragic and important information, is not a useful guide for the response.
And discussion about the effects of lockdowns on the supply chain is part of that context.
The obvious inference many people will jump to is that the deaths are directly due to covid. It's important to remember there are other possible explanations.