Editing at the top to add that the article actually says the opposite of what you're implying.

>[Combs] added that two years ago, covid-prevention measures, such as wearing masks, social distancing, hand-washing and avoiding large gatherings, resulted in very little RSV, flu and rhinovirus — lessons that parents can apply even as new coronavirus infections wane.

>“In order to give both a sprout of hope and also some micro sense of control of, ‘Well, what can I do other than panic?’ ” she said. “Go back to basics, do what you’ve been doing over the past couple of years of pandemic: Get your immunizations … and just do your best.”

In other words, "if it worked before, it'll work now"— not "this was a very bad idea that made things worse."

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While for-profit health care is problematic, the idea that masks have weakened immune systems is utter horseshit, as kids haven't been wearing masks in schools for the most part for quite a while now. Every person without a mask they've come into contact with has provided exposure to them and their germs and, as an extension, anyone they've come into contact with and whoever they've come into contact with and so on.

If that was anywhere near the case, you would only see kids being hospitalized from families who'd been strictly adhering to masking and isolating. I think you'll discover that few meet that criteria.

We do however know that covid infection itself puts the body through quite a bit, and that especially during recovery it can be harder to fight off other illnesses. We also know that covid can have lasting effects on the immune system.

Contrary to this belief, it's been shown that wearing masks (in significantly reducing exposure but maybe allowing a smaller initial dose of virus as opposed to the larger one you'd be exposed to with no mask), that this could offer MORE benefit to an immune system.

But if you think greater exposure to viruses is the more important factor in preventing illnesses, by all means feel free to roll the dice with your own kids.

There is some evidence that COVID itself weakens immune systems as well.

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