Alva Review-Courier -

Will social distancing weaken my immune system?

In short, no.

Some worry a lack of contact with others will weaken their immune system by reducing its active contact with germs.

But even when we're staying 6 feet from others or spending most of our time at home, our bodies are continuously responding to plenty of bacteria and other germs that inhabit indoor and outdoor environments.

"We're constantly exposed to microbes," said Akiko Iwasaki, an immune system researcher at Yale University. "Our immune system is always being triggered."

The effects of childhood vaccines and other built-up immuni...