The pandemic made loneliness more rampant than before. A simple call, or hug, may be a cure SECTIONS The pandemic made loneliness more rampant than before. A simple call, or hug, may be a cureAP Last Updated: Apr 15, 2021, 06:02 PM IST Share iStock The pandemic has made loneliness inescapable around the globe and the health care community says it's time to seek solutions. Related CHICAGO: The stranger's call came when Dianne Green needed it most. Alone in the home where she'd raised four kids, grieving recently deceased relatives, too fearful of COVID-19 to see her grandkids and great-grandbabies, she had never felt lonelier.