[eldritch_4ier]

It seems more likely that the significant lockdowns and deep isolation that came with it had these same effects. When you can't see friends for months, can't do anything but stay home and watch tv/play video games, and are constantly exposed to news of a depressing, ill world - what else do you feel?

You don't need covid to feel "Long Covid" after the life we've lived in the last 2 years.

[DennisP]

That's testable. It should be possible to compare the rate of "long covid" issues between people who tested positive for covid at some point, and people who didn't. Break it down by area so you're comparing populations with the same isolation rules.

This would be an especially good comparison since it's unlikely that people who caught covid were more isolated on average.