The days of lockdowns and mass death are long over, but we're all still living in with the ripple effects five years later.

The COVID-19 lockdown "felt like solitary confinement," a San Diego resident tells NPR. Even after many pandemic rules lifted, American society remains deeply fractured.

Five years ago, the COVID pandemic began changing our lives in drastic ways. It was, first and foremost, a stressful, scary and tragic time. People died and others suffered ― some from illness, some from a lack of human connection and some due to finding themselves stuck in terrible circumstances.