Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Coronavirus Briefing: Kids with long Covid

Coronavirus Briefing: Kids with long Covid

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June 22, 2022

An informed guide to the pandemic, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment.

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The New York Times

By Nancy Wartik and Remy Tumin

Health workers across the U.S. are beginning to give Covid-19 vaccinations to children between 6 months and 5 years old this week.
Despite another surge of infections, people are dying from Covid at a rate close to the lowest of the pandemic.
Broadway will drop its mask mandate beginning July 1.
Find the latest updates here, and check out our maps and vaccine tracker.

When children have long Covid

A Covid-19 vaccine site for children under 5 near Times Square in New York today.Brittainy Newman for The New York Times

Parents across the U.S. are breathing a long sigh of relief this week as the youngest Americans — between 6 months and 5 years old — begin receiving their first round of Covid vaccinations. (This guide can tell you everything you need to know about kids and vaccines, and you can find a vaccination site through this federal website.)

The long-awaited approval should help to address one big parental fear: that a child could contract long Covid — a cluster of lingering symptoms that include fatigue, headaches, brain fog, racing heart and stomach issues.

Experts estimate that long Covid may affect about one in five adults. Studies suggest that long Covid is rarer in children, but they can develop it, too.

Our colleague Pam Belluck reported in August on kids with long Covid, and the constellation of physical, cognitive and mental health symptoms they can experience.

At the time, the U.S. had logged only a few million cases of the coronavirus in people under 21. Today, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the number has risen to more than 13 million — almost certainly an undercount. A separate C.D.C. study estimated that by February about 75 percent of U.S. children under 18 had blood antibodies to the coronavirus, suggesting they had been infected.

We went back to Pam to understand what has changed since she wrote the piece about kids with long Covid last summer. She emphasized that there were still more questions than answers, but gave us some optimistic news: "We're getting a sense it's significantly less common in kids," she said. "When I wrote my story, there was one estimate that said 11 to 15 percent of children could be at risk. A recent study I've seen put it at 1.5 percent having symptoms after eight weeks."

In other words, children, especially those under 12, probably face far less risk than adults. Pam added that the jury was still out on whether vaccines lower the risk of long Covid but that there was growing evidence they do. When kids do develop long Covid, Pam said, experts now suggest that some can recover faster than adults.

Do we know anything more about which kids develop long Covid and which don't?

We know that if adults get very sick from the initial phase of a coronavirus infection — sick enough to need hospitalization — they're likelier to have long-term symptoms than those whose infections are mild. This is probably true for kids as well. But even people who had mild initial infections can develop long Covid, and since they make up the majority of people who are infected, they also make up a majority of people with long Covid. Studies in adults are suggesting that there may be factors that make people more likely to develop long Covid, including having previous medical issues like diabetes or autoimmune conditions.

What do you do if your child's symptoms persist after an infection?

Go to a doctor you trust, like your pediatrician or primary care doctor. Ask the doctor to fully assess what could be causing the symptoms. Some symptoms, like headaches or shortness of breath, may be treated with medication. Fatigue is probably the most common feature of long Covid, and that's a very tricky thing to address. You may want to seek help at a post-Covid clinic for children — there are some clinics that have an interdisciplinary network of specialists and can address issues like fatigue with programs that include physical therapy.

How should parents think about troubling symptoms that last for months?

Kids are going through a lot now, whether or not they have been infected with the coronavirus. Some health issues like anxiety, fatigue and headaches could have multiple causes. So it's really important not to dismiss those symptoms but to remember that some could be caused or exacerbated by other stressors, too, like school closures, remote learning, lockdowns, not being with friends, having family members get sick or die.

Some parents say that there are long waits to see specialists and that other doctors dismiss their concerns. What do you tell them?

Access is definitely a problem. I think instances when doctors dismiss or gaslight on this issue are a little less common than before, though obviously that varies. Show your doctors the studies we've written about, or find a different pediatrician. The important thing is to try to get the symptoms addressed, even if a doctor doesn't think they are caused by long Covid. We're going to learn more about this condition, and there will hopefully be more answers available. But in the interim, if a kid is suffering, focus on getting help for the symptoms.

Your stories about long Covid in kids

Last month, we asked you to tell us about long Covid symptoms in your children. You told us about lively, active kids of all ages who, months after their initial infections, still had headaches, stomach problems, terrible fatigue and other issues. Thank you for sharing your stories with us.

"My 15-year-old tested positive in January. She was vaccinated and boosted. Today, she has nausea, diarrhea, joint and muscle pain, shortness of breath, headaches, anxiety, hair loss and more. She loves the arts, singing, acting and playing her instruments, but is struggling to get through the school year. Physical therapy seems to be helping. We saw a gastroenterologist last week. She started new meds and a new diet. We're praying for a return to a somewhat normal life for her." — Joy Corbitt, Davidson, N.C.

"My son, now 13, first had Covid in April 2020. He was in bed for 49 days. He resumed normal activities to an extent, until he was reinfected in January and April 2022. He dropped out of school a few months ago. Ryan was healthy, social, athletic and a good student. Now he sleeps 10 to 12 hours every night, has difficulty concentrating and gets sick constantly. He's given up his passion, soccer. So many of our friends have moved on to live life like they did in 2019, but that's impossible for us." — Allison Newman, New York City

"My 15-year-old contracted Covid in September 2020. She's a shell of the person she was. Ironically, she got it at her gym — she was a competitive gymnast, and I worried if I didn't send her back she'd lose the opportunity to participate. How wrong I was. She's had a headache 24/7 since getting Covid and did a weeklong stay at an inpatient specialty clinic, being pumped full of IV drugs. Nothing could break the headache. I have no idea what her future holds." — Holly Orcutt, St. Charles, Ill.

"My child was 5 and seemed to bounce right back. But we noticed we'd take him to go play at the park, and he'd come back after a few minutes and say his chest hurt really badly. It's been 18 months. He has chest pain, is tired after Boy Scouts and not able to play like he always did. He sometimes breaks out in hives. Nobody seems to know what this is or if it will go away. A large part of his childhood got taken away." — Alyssa, Houston

"I'm 18 years old but got Covid just after my 17th birthday. I could not taste a thing. I had a headache and a slight cough but no serious symptoms. My real problem is my nose. It's been a year and a half now, and the signature 'altered taste' still lingers. Things like popcorn and milk chocolate still repulse me. It's very depressing. I try to smell perfumes but they all smell the same. I'm worried, if my sense of taste and smell have been altered for this long, will it stay the same forever?" — Katherine Beebe, San Antonio, Texas

What else we're following

New coronavirus infections are surging across much of Europe just as summer travel heats up, The Guardian reported.
The chief executive of Pfizer told MSNBC that the company was developing vaccines that specifically target Omicron and other variants.
Moderna said an updated version of its vaccine generated a strong immune response to new Omicron variants, and the company hopes it will be approved for a booster shot in the fall, according to Reuters.
Social-distancing rules made lemonade stands all but impossible. Now they are back in full force across America.