Several popular social media accounts are promoting the idea that mask mandates and other COVID-19 protections are responsible for the “tripledemic,” the current wave of flu, COVID-19, and RSV infections that are overwhelming U.S. hospitals. One post claims that wearing masks weakened children’s immune systems by preventing exposure to germs, making them more susceptible to infections. This claim directly contradicts the anti-mask belief that masks are ineffective at preventing disease transmission. Another widely shared post says that COVID-19 restrictions have “dampened immune systems.”
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Consider countering this misinformation by explaining that there is no scientific basis for the claim that masks or other COVID-19 protections weaken immune systems. Emphasizing that pediatricians agree that masks are perfectly safe for children over the age of 2 and research shows that masks reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools is recommended. The “tripledemic” is the result of multiple highly transmissible COVID-19 subvariants, a particularly bad and early flu season, and increased indoor socialization without COVID-19 mitigations like mask mandates and social distancing. Masks were not the cause of the tripledemic, but they are an effective way to help protect against the respiratory diseases circulating this winter. Fact Checking Source(s):
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