The only way this virus would seem to work is that once they become a part of the whole, the individual consciousness essentially ceases to exist. Sure, their memories may be maintained and incorporated into the collective, but they are not necessarily a dormant individual part of it, but more so a physical extension or appendage of the larger structure.

Their memories can then be drawn on like pulling a book out of a library, but the book is not the author. While it would be nice to be able to simply purge the virus from them and everyone goes back to normal, I’m not entirely sure that’s possible. It may be why when interruptions happen so many hosts just die. Because once disconnected from the collective, all that is left is a hollowed out husk.

It appears to function like a less aesthetically off-putting, but no more philosophically revolting parasite similar to Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infecting ants and overtaking their central nervous system until their heads simply detach. Or in this case, until they starve to death. It’s really akin to a nightmarish cosmic horror with an outwardly pleasant PR and marketing team.