Anyone who has a “vague recollection” wasn’t paying attention at the time.
For a while streets were deserted. Your could drive through a red light at high noon and no one would notice. Shelves were barren, particularly of toilet paper and paper towels, but also of lots of foodstuffs which were easily replenished in better times. Costco had giant snake-lines of pallets to guide only a limited number into the store at any given time, and supermarkets opened early for seniors and other vulnerable populations.
No, if you have only a vague recollection then either you were in the cohort that was in denial or you are suffering memory loss now, and go see a doctor. That there may not be long lasting effects on most people is not a surprise. The people who went through the privations of World War II burst out in the ensuing decade to become the greatest consumer generation in history.
Those who went through the upheavals of culture, politics, and protest in the ‘60’s have gone on to become traditional Democrats, or perhaps Republicans, to have 2.4 children, and to pay taxes and join corporate America in huge numbers.
And that’s the thing. While there are (sometimes wild) swings, the culture moves on, so far - ever forward. From the Roaring 20’s to the Great Depression to WWII, through the placid 50’s and turbulent 60’s, from gas lines to Reagan, there are few lasting scars. The pandemic is one we will all remember, but society’s institutional memory will be scarcely affected. Supply chains are back. The stores are full. The economy is robust. The dead are still dead. Life goes on.