The world’s largest study on Long COVID-19 in infants and toddlers is complete, and there are some things that parents should be aware of. When the pandemic hit, there was a lot that was not known about it because it was new. It seemed at first that children were “immune” to it, but we quickly learned that was not true. However, we also learned that when children did contract the virus, their cases did not seem to be as serious, or life-threatening, as it was in other populations. However, as time has gone on, studies are being done on young children and COVID-19, and they are providing some clear answers.
According to Scary Mommy, the largest study on Long COVID-19 in infants and toddlers is now complete. Long COVID-19 is used to describe any cases that are continuing to show symptoms well past the infection date. This is something that has been seen in older children, and adults, but little was known about how it impacted infants and toddlers.
The study was published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, and it can be read in full here. It found that 40% of children under the age of 3 continued to suffer from certain symptoms two months after they were infected. This is higher than any other age group in children and youth.
To complete the study, researchers looked at 44,000 children under the age of 14, and 11,000 of them had confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past. Their parents were then asked a series of questions about their child’s symptoms, and this included fatigue, moodiness, headaches, and upset stomach. They found that children who tested positive were more likely to experience at least one of these symptoms 2 months post-infection.
For infants and toddlers, the most common long COVID-19 symptoms were mood swings, rashes, and stomach issues. Researchers are stating that despite it being considerably low, the risk is still there, and it needs to be taken seriously by medical providers. Doctors need to recognize what is long COVID-19, and they need to treat it accordingly.
The pandemic has had an impact on almost every age group, but children were impacted in a large way, and this includes small infants and toddlers who could continue to show symptoms months after infection. There is still some work to be done when it comes to long COVID-19 in young children, and a part of that is going to be looking at young children from various countries.
Sources: Scary Mommy, The Lancet