Yes, @galenkp ...
"... Chinese virus called Covid-19 took over the world ..."
... discerning truth is vitally important, to any meaningful conversation. Still hotly debated, of course, given its implications, but "Chinese virus" seems to be a clear example. Without talking honestly about not only where it come from, but why it came into being, aren't we just wasting our time?
"... and arguably changed it forever."
Yes, arguably. Fear is a remarkably powerful motivational force and it is very sobering to see how much of our freedom around the world evaporated under the power of it, all the while governments around the world claiming they were protecting us from it.
Using your word "arguably," what was one of if not the most important outcomes? In my view, it was the damage done to our freedom of expression. With relentless claims of "misinformation" and "disinformation" being made, without any open and honest discussion of who was making these judgments and by what authority.
We may finally be experiencing some pushback on this vital topic, given the recent election results in Argentina, America, Germany ...
In which case, hopefully, in another 5 years, you can write that the damage done 5 years ago has finally been openly and honestly acknowledged and was reversed, as a result of our ability to talk about it freely.
Thanks for bringing this up again, as I do not think we are anywhere close to being done with honestly and openly talking about the consequences of all the decisions made for / imposed on us, during that time.
It was used as an excuse to gain a greater degree of control by governments and corporations and that made society the loser yet again. of course, as you pointed out, there's some pushback but these things take time and sometimes I wonder what's lost in the interim.