With the recent news that children’s Covid vaccinations are being released for younger age groups in some regions of the UK, we thought we would focus this article on whether children can get Long Covid. According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics) in December 2021 approximately 2% of the population reported to be suffering from Long Covid. Whilst this doesn’t sound like a big figure as a percentage this does represent an estimated 1.3 million people whose lives have not returned to ‘normal’ due to post Covid 19 syndrome or so called ‘Long Covid’. Of this figure Long Covid was reported to be most prevalent in:

• females
• people living in deprived areas
• those in the 35-69 age bracket
• healthcare workers and those working in social care
• teachers or those working in education
• people with an activity limiting condition or disability

For the purpose of this survey Long Covid was defined as those with symptoms persisting beyond 4 weeks since the beginning of the infection. Where children under 12 were included in the survey their parents or carers completed the questions. There is no particular reference to Long Covid amongst children in this report so we looked at the School survey.

As part of the Schools Infection Survey (academic year 2020-2021) it was established that some secondary school pupils were reporting to be suffering with persistent symptoms beyond 4 weeks after the initial Covid 19 infection. However, whilst some reported feeling weakness or tiredness the reports of breathlessness was significantly lower than in the staff reporting Long Covid. This Schools Infection Survey report also suggests that 50% of these pupils with Long Covid continued to attend school as normal.

As part of the ZOE Covid survey it is noted that many children contract Covid 19 with little or no symptoms. For those with symptoms they were reported to last on average for 6 days, with fewer than 1 in 20 children reporting symptoms beyond 4 weeks, although this was slightly higher in secondary school children than in the primary age group. However because the survey was focused on those with symptoms, realistically the figures for Long Covid in children are considerably lower as this quote from the ZOE Covid report suggests:

“the true proportion of children infected with COVID who experience long-lasting symptoms is likely to be much lower than our data suggests, making extended illness in children rare.”

So it would seem that the answer is that children can get Long Covid but it is rare and where they do,
breathlessness is much less reported than in adults.

Over half of those people surveyed by the ONS reported fatigue as the main symptom of their Long Covid, but 36% also reported shortness of breath. This is where our team at Pure O2 can help with providing oxygen. Over the last couple of years we have helped many people suffering from Covid and Long Covid with portable oxygen concentrators. Many of these have reported that not only did these units help them to physically breathe but also helped them to regain confidence to go out again and start to relive their lives as they did before Covid. You can read more about Long Covid in our other articles.

To discuss your oxygen requirements with our friendly team of experts just pick up the phone and give us a call on 0870 712 0202, or you can use our UK freephone number if calling between 9am and 5pm on 0800 145 5902. If you are calling from overseas you can use our international number +44 (0)161 747 2617. We organise rented portable oxygen concentrators for holiday makers visiting the UK or those travelling abroad from the UK. You can also get in touch with us through our Contact Page.