I don't, fundamentally, have an issue with the idea that pandemics and disasters are used by God to chastise humanity, but (a) evil does happen to good people, (b) God does not positively will evil, (c) we don't have an insight into divine providence, we're not authorised

to act as prophets and self-appointed prophets are bad, and (d) Saying x is a punishment for y is just an incredibly self important way of saying "y" (say capitalism) is evil, which might well be true, and certainly more likely true than the statement "God sent x because of y."

My friend also made the point that there is something fundamentally frivolous about casually (effectively) delighting in people's suffering because it confirms my priors.