Re what you said about losing one of your oldest friends, I had the same experience and reacted the same as you, feeling disgust.

I'd been friends with this person for over 40 years and we'd gone through a lot together, but when covid kicked off he turned into someone I no longer recognised. Initially he became meek, fearful and paranoid, leaving his delivered shopping out in the sun for 24 hours and then wiping it all with bleach. His daily walks, the only time he left the house, were 'wary'. He and his wife turned into hypochondriacs and called paramedics more than once, for issues like wheezing or a cough. That developed into becoming a mask disciple, followed by becoming a vaccine disciple. He started being quite vicious about anyone not following the approved narrative, not realising he was talking about me and my partner who refused to follow orders. I no longer see him as the same person and, given some of his more recent attitudes, have decided to not contact him again.

It does seem that a lot of people were completely consumed by the narrative, to the point that they've turned into someone unrecognisable.