PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With class in session for “pandemic babies,” physicians are giving parents guidance on how to address the spread of viruses.

About 3.6 million babies were born in 2020, the first year that the U.S. went on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Five years later, many of these children have begun kindergarten — after growing up with limited exposure to common germs.

Kaiser Permanente Pediatrician Lisa Ann Denike is informing parents that their kids could be more susceptible to viruses like influenza, cold, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus throughout the fall and winter.

“We can't put our kids in a bubble, and nor should we,” Dr. Denike told KOIN 6. “We want their bodies to be able to ha

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