I went ahead and downloaded 2.4.4 so I can answer my own question: NO.
But, it was weird that that error message started popping up after electrum had worked flawlessly for so long.
But, it was weird that that error message started popping up after electrum had worked flawlessly for so long.
That's software for you, will work flawlessly for months and years and then just start tripping up one day and then, just as you reach the ends of your patience everything starts working fine again.
Glad you are sorted with the latest version. Just a note for future reference, as long as you have the seed for the wallet you are okay. You can restore your complete wallet with the seed, even if you deleted/uninstalled Electrum and deleted all your wallet files. So its vital that you store the seed in a very safe place as that is the proverbial key to everything.