It's even more silly when you realize the writers didn't even need to go this route to provoke this conflict. There's so many pesticides used in our food production, for example, that kill millions of insects and result in lost biodiversity. Retiring them all at once could very feasibly result in famine via pestilence.

But instead they went for "no can pick apple :(". This is just plain bad writing. Maybe that problem was too "solvable"?

Antibiotics are also a thing. Do we consider bacteria in this equation of life and death? Probably had to kill millions of bacteria to keep Zosia alive so, unless the bacteria has its own hivemind ability to clear out of its own volition (probably also resulting in its own die-off by declining access to resources. Huh... see, that would actually be an interesting analogy!!), I'm going to guess the answer is no. But plants? We couldn't pull a leaf from a branch to save our lives!

The more I sit with this the more I realize that so much is "morally" off limits and/or rendered null-and-void by the virus that it's questionable what the hivemind is even ultimately working towards besides spreading the virus and maybe conservation of the planet itself? Indeterminable joy? What are the other 7 billion plurbs even doing all day when they're not catering to the 12 survivors' every demand?

I demand world building !! Writing your main character as an incurious anti-social american chauvinist does not excuse you from world building !!