How many children do you know have long Covid

[Baileysforchristmas]

Just wondering how many people on here have experience of children with long Covid?

My 10 year old caught covid in April. Bit of a headache , loss of taste /smell but other than that was fine. He did have a stomach bug about 5 days before but they didn't class that as a symptom

Since then he's been off school 3 times with a bad stomach and vomiting. He's also complained of stomach ache inbetween and quite often gags and feels a bit off in the morning after breakfast so I'm begining to wonder if it's all linked

My friends dd has been diagnosed as having Long COVID despite never having COVID and having no COVID antibodies when they tested her blood. Not sure how they came to that conclusion frankly

@surprisi

According to a certain prolific poster: millions.

According to the real world: minuscule amounts

According to my personal experience of working in childcare and having friends and family in different childcare settings: none.

I don't even know any children who had symptoms other than a few who had very mild cold type symptoms.

It's worth remembering the definition of "long covid" is any symptoms which persist more than FOUR WEEKS. If we applied that definition to other viruses/ infections... how many people would have long colds, long coughs etc?

In other words... it's a lot of nonsense.

I'm sure it's awful for those who are affected just as post viral has always been, but turning this into a "thing" and blowing it wildly out of proportion is doing nobody, least of all those suffering with it, any favours at all.

I don’t know any child with long post Covid syndrome but I do know many even younger early years primary children who have tested PCR positive asymptomatic after dangerously inaccurate lateral flow anti gen home screening testing false negative. However do scientists know if full Covid recovery means no future symptoms or complications with repeated infection? Presumably UK children will not be Covid vaccinated despite the current third Indian Delta (Plus?) wave hitting many schools. Well those with children proactively testing anyway as without testing silent asymptomatic seeding, incubation and spread will inevitably occur with superficial risk mitigation measures and only testing when symptoms develop.

I know several adults with long Covid, several children who tested positive incl 2 who were very ill, and one who wasn't ill at the time but has developed worsening symptoms over the last year which could well be long Covid (though impossible to confirm this as she never tested).

None.

I think my son had what would now be called long covid.

We had covid in February 2020. My son (8 at the time) was quite bad and he had a brief stay in hospital.

He wasn't right for about 5 months afterwards. He has had loads of covid tests for various reasons. Such as he complained his breakfast didn't taste of anythings. He woke up with a bad chest infection (never had a chest infection before) etc. It's like symptoms kept popping up for a couple of days. Then they would go. He is much better now.

I have just started the paperwork for long covid and waiting for my chest scan as I still feel shit now. Some days, I keep getting bouts where I feel like I have flu, or can't taste anything again.

But long covid wasn't a thing then so I have no way of knowing.

My dp and my (then) 15 year old recovered really quickly.

None

None

I don’t know any children with long Covid. However I had Covid in December at the end of my pregnancy, and I’m still suffering now. Only just got my taste/smell back about a month ago, absolutely worn out, I take daily inhalers that I haven’t needed to before, and I cough a good few times daily. Never had a temp during positive Covid, but now get hot spells all the time

I know loads of kids.
Very very few have had covid.
Those who had have had mild symptoms.

Except one.

he had Covid around Christmas, aged 15, GCSE year.
For weeks afterwards it effected his memory, his focus, his ability to study. Was a really difficult few months. Lasted maybe 4 months.
Fine now.

Get to the point OP.

None

@Horehound

Is there a test for "long covid"?

No, though my GP and the nurse leading the covid clinic who spoke to me, plus the consultant at the hospital, all asked a series of very similar questions about various symptoms at different stages, from a few weeks to a few months on. Only GP dealing with it now, alongside the consultant I see for other condition anyway but that's more to see how that aspect May/may not be being affected rather than general.

No test, as with many post virus illnesses, often symptoms aren't specifically the same for everyone.

None. Everyone I know with long covid is female and age 35-45 and previously very very fit (triathletes, marathon runners etc).

@surprisi

According to a certain prolific poster: millions.

According to the real world: minuscule amounts

According to my personal experience of working in childcare and having friends and family in different childcare settings: none.

I don't even know any children who had symptoms other than a few who had very mild cold type symptoms.

It's worth remembering the definition of "long covid" is any symptoms which persist more than FOUR WEEKS. If we applied that definition to other viruses/ infections... how many people would have long colds, long coughs etc?

In other words... it's a lot of nonsense.

I'm sure it's awful for those who are affected just as post viral has always been, but turning this into a "thing" and blowing it wildly out of proportion is doing nobody, least of all those suffering with it, any favours at all.

The whole 4 weeks isn't actually true, well based in the hospital I was under. They didn't even begin to talk about it as long covid until after a couple of months.

The 4 weeks thing is something different if I remember right;y. That was more to do with monitoring covid itself, rather than the post viral health issues known as long covid.

Please don't let comments like 'it's anything just 4 weeks on' etc detract from the fact that post covid health implications can indeed be very serious for some and debilitating in some way for many people.

The whole '4 weeks' thing I keep reading really does try to downplay the impact even mild/moderate covid can have on someone.

And yes, I know other illness can cause similar issues. I had pneumonia a few years ago and that also took a long time (a year to be totally 'right' infact) to recover from. For me, however, the recovery from covid has more impact on my life than the recovery from pneumonia did.

Why?

@Baileysforchristmas

Thanks to everyone who’s replied, very interesting.

Sorry that should have been to Baileysfor.. Why is it interesting?

None. I know a few teens who had it in September/October/November and they are all absolutely fine now.

@Abraxan I feel that the 'it 4 weeks' does make people think its nothing.

Its been 15 months and I am still so ill, so often. I have daysvwhere I am feeling fine then the next I can even barely get showered. Even a 5 min walk to the school gates is too much some days and it's like I jogged a marathon.

None. Also I don’t know of a single adult with “long covid”. 🤨

No I don't know anyone with long Covid. I know a couple of people who were very poorly with it but they seemed to recover OK.

Please don't let comments like 'it's anything just 4 weeks on' etc detract from the fact that post covid health implications can indeed be very serious for some and debilitating in some way for many people.

That's exactly the point though. Rolling up any lingering symptoms after 4 weeks, calling it "Long Covid" and saying 1 million people are suffering IS HELPING NOBODY.

ONS:

That's exactly the point though. Rolling up any lingering symptoms after 4 weeks, calling it "Long Covid" and saying 1 million people are suffering IS HELPING NOBODY.
I agree, we need separate categories for people with lingering mild symptoms for several weeks and people who can't work or attend school months later.

None thankfully

None