[bsder]

> But isn't COVID novel in the damage it poses to microvascular systems (importantly brain and lungs), compared to other viruses?

Maybe. But I suspect actually the reverse is true. "Normal" viruses (virii?) are probably far more damaging than we have ever credited.

The fact that we can vaccinate against a cancer (cervical cancer) and the fact that asthma went down more than expected during lockdowns, suggests that we are significantly underestimating the risks that "normal" pathogens incur.