Less than one in 20 COVID-positive children who are still experiencing symptoms are symptomatic beyond four weeks.
It is one of the first studies to offer a detailed description of COVID illness in symptomatic school-aged children suggesting that long term symptoms are rare in this age group. It is published in the journal, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
The study consisted of data on 1,734 children aged between five and seventeen years old. Researchers found that the children’s symptoms lasted for five days in the younger age group (five to eleven) and seven days in older children (twelve to seventeen).
It found that 4.4 per cent experienced symptoms for four weeks or more. While one in 50 (1.8 per cent) had symptoms lasting more than two months.
Common symptoms of Long-Covid
The most common symptoms reported were headaches, tiredness, sore throat and a loss of smell. There were no reports of serious neurological symptoms such as fits or seizures, or impaired concentration.
When compared to the adults, the data showed that one in seven adults experienced symptoms lasting four weeks, one in twenty were ill for eight weeks or longer. Symptomatic COVID in children was found to be shorter in duration than the adults with six days compared to eleven. The results appear to confirm that COVID-19 manifests as a mild illness in children and that they usually recover quickly.
It also examined children who tested negative but had other illnesses such as colds or cases of flu. Researchers randomly selected a group of age-matched and gender-matched children with symptoms who were tested at the same time as the positive children. The results revealed that the children with COVID were more likely to be ill for longer than four weeks but the children with other illnesses tended to experience more symptoms at the four-week mark.
The data was collected between September 2020 and February 2021. It coincided with the reopening of UK schools in the autumn and the winter wave of the virus. The data was reported through the Zoe app by parents and careers. However, it does not take into account the Delta variant which has been present in the UK since May 2021.
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The results
The results support the recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation that children over twelve will get a vaccine only if they are clinically vulnerable or live with someone at risk.
It also comes as a decision has been made on children aged sixteen and seventeen receiving the vaccine. The JCVI has decided that 1 million children will be offered their first dose of the vaccine across the UK. This follows countries such as France, the US and Israel who have already started to immunise children against COVID. However, the second dose application will be subject to data scrutiny according to a government body.
The first vaccine appointments will start in the coming weeks ready for the autumn return to school. Older children will not need their parent’s permission to get vaccinated. Children aged twelve to fifteen are not currently recommended to get the vaccine but this could change over time.
The study authors
Professor Emma Duncan, lead and senior author of the study, from King’s College London, UK, said: “It is reassuring that the number of children experiencing long-lasting symptoms of COVID-19 symptoms is low. Nevertheless, a small number of children do experience long illness with COVID-19, and our study validates the experiences of these children and their families.”
She added: “We hope our results will be useful and timely for doctors, parents, and schools caring for these children – and of course the affected children themselves.”
Dr Michael Absoud, a senior study author and senior lecturer at King’s College London, noted: “Our data highlight that other illnesses, such as colds and flu, can also have prolonged symptoms in children and it is important to consider this when planning for paediatric health services during the pandemic and beyond. This will be particularly important given that the prevalence of these illnesses is likely to increase as physical distancing measures implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are relaxed. All children who have persistent symptoms – from any illness – need timely multidisciplinary support linked with education, to enable them to find their individual pathway to recovery.”
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