I think the 3.5 million deaths were used as justification for certain societal responses. But if you like attacking straw men, who am I to stop you. It is a free country after all!
As far as I am concerned, there was only one side that was trying to score political points. The other side was trying to do what was right based on the best evidence that we had at the time.
I don't have sufficient expertise on the matter to hold strong positions either way.