I’m old enough to remember Viet Nam, African famine, oppressive dictatorships, regional genocides, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunami, ebola, AIDS, wildfires, chemical spills, industrial disaster, environmental disasters, dam breaks etc, etc.
These were all mostly regional. Flashes on the evening newscast (or now on social media), then you move on with your life.
The difference with COVID is that it’s worldwide, and everyone, everywhere has had a similar experience. These other events are still happening, they are just layered on top of the common experience of a pandemic.