Hello,
As you are changing the primary color and it affects many other strings and text which you do not want to change. But as those strings and text contains the primary color so we can not change this rule.
The only way to change the color of specific strings or text is via CSS code. Kindly share the url of your site so I can provide you CSS code accordingly for product grid items.
For the counter background you can use the below CSS code in Theme Settings >> Custom CSS >> Global Custom CSS:
.wd-tools-icon .wd-tools-count{
background:red;
}
Best Regards.