I think a lot of things are happening here. The pandemic definitely caused a lot of people to have long-lasting health problems, both physical and mental. Some people who got COVID are still dealing with effects, and that's definitely a factor.

Then there’s the vaccine, which also had some side effects for certain people. That could explain part of the rise in disability claims too.

But I also think that people have started talking more openly about health issues that they might have kept quiet about before. The pandemic made a lot of people rethink how they live, and some decided they just didn't want to go back to the way things were. So, it’s possible some people are now getting diagnosed with things like depression or anxiety, which they might not have before.