there absolutely were deaths on the prior iteration of the same model aircraft from the same company, in two separate incidents, only 5-6 years ago:

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Air_Flight_610

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_302

as OP said:

I think the worry people have is that safety standards are slipping, when it comes to building airplanes, specifically Boeing building airplanes. This is not something that would be noticeable in an accident statistic while it is actually happening, yet it is an extremely serious matter for the safety of aviation in the future.