Long COVID in children: what we know so far

Quite soon after the pandemic first struck a significant number of people began to complain of persistent symptoms in the aftermath of being infected with the new coronavirus. These manifestations have been dubbed "long covid" and classically include fatigue and tiredness, headaches, difficulty concentrating and mood changes. What's less clear is the extent to which this is happening not just to adults but also to children, and particularly teenagers. These are groups that tend to have a very low risk of developing severe Covid infections but, as it turns out, they are nevertheless quite often succumbing - like adults do - to long term symptoms lasting 3 months or more. Terence Stephenson is at the UCL Gt Ormond St Institute of Child Health and spoke with Chris Smith...