Why Covid Lockdowns and Mask Mandates Made Children Sicker

It’s no surprise respiratory viruses are infecting kids sheltered by years of lockdowns

By Allysia Finley. Excerpts:

"Yet it isn’t surprising that respiratory viruses—suppressed by nearly three years of Covid lockdowns—would come back with a vengeance in China amid low levels of natural immunity. Children are especially susceptible to bugs their immune systems have never encountered, and there are hundreds of them. 

It’s also possible that lockdowns and mask mandates impaired children’s immune development, making them more vulnerable to viruses that usually cause mild cold- and flu-like symptoms. Regardless, China’s crowded hospitals are more evidence that there are far more dangerous pathogens than Covid for children."

"It’s true that hospitalization rates for young children are currently higher than for adolescents and young adults, but they are significantly lower than for seniors. Yet infants are predominantly being hospitalized—not toddlers—and many are also infected with other, more-dangerous respiratory viruses. Infants younger than six months aren’t eligible for Covid vaccines anyway.

Infant hospitalizations for RSV, a common-cold virus that can impair babies’ ability to breathe, are currently seven to nine times higher than for Covid. For toddlers, it’s 17 times higher."

"The public health and political left’s zealous promotion of Covid vaccines for children may stem from a well-meaning desire to protect them from minor discomfort. Ditto mask mandates, padded playgrounds and trigger warnings. But shielding kids from every unpleasant physical and psychological feeling isn’t realistic or healthy.

Germs can, in fact, be good. Exposure at a young age to bacteria and allergens reduces the risk of asthma, allergies and some autoimmune disorders. It’s also well-documented that children who grow up on farms or with pets are less likely to develop chronic immune ailments. Scientists posit that germs train a child’s immune system not to overreact.

This, incidentally, is another reason why mask mandates for children were a bone-headed idea. They were largely ineffective at stopping the spread of Covid, yet they reduced children’s exposure to a potpourri of germs that strengthen their developing immune systems."

"By disrupting the gut’s microbiome, antibiotics can impair immune function. Overprescribing such medication for children has been found to raise the risk of allergies, celiac disease and even obesity."