As the nation continues to battle new cases of COVID-19,  many people are still feeling the effects of long-haul COVID-19. Studies show a wide range of long-haul symptoms in approximately 25% of people who have contracted the virus. One study suggests that as many as 52% of teens and young adults between ages 16 and 30 may experience lingering symptoms six months after having COVID. 

Even though most severe COVID-19 cases have been in adults, children and teenagers with mild cases are experiencing long-haul COVID-19, too. Learn more about long-haul COVID-19 in children and teenagers, including the symptoms, challenges of diagnosing, the search for treatment, providing emotional support, and prevention.* 

What are the Symptoms of Long-Haul COVID-19?

Including both mental and physical, some of the most common symptoms are: 

• Fatigue
• Trouble Concentrating
• Shortness of Breath
• Muscle Aches
• Depression
• Anxiety

Even in mild and asymptomatic cases of COVID-19, these symptoms can become present in children and teenagers. 

What Has Been the Challenge of Diagnosing COVID-19 in Children and Teenagers?

During the early part of the pandemic, COVID-19 testing was limited. Many children and teenagers who had mild cases did not meet the requirements to get tested. This may have caused some to believe they never had COVID-19 and others to presume they had it. 

In one case, a 16-year old girl named Molly Burch had developed symptoms of COVID-19 but did not meet her home state’s requirement to get tested. Molly’s mother recalls, “Molly had not been out of the country. She did not have contact with a known case of COVID-19. And she had a fever and a cough but no shortness of breath.” 

Weeks after initial symptoms, Molly tested negative for COVID-19, which likely contributed to the virus not being detectable in her system anymore; however, Molly’s mother, who developed symptoms after Molly, did test positive. Therefore, Molly was presumed COVID-19 positive by her doctor. 

Are There any Treatment Options?

There have been specialized clinics opening up throughout the United States to support those recovering from COVID-19. 

Norton’s Children Pediatric COVID-19 Follow-Up Clinic in Louisville, Kentucky, focuses on children and teenagers. 

“We started noticing children who have had lingering symptoms from COVID, and there wasn’t a lot of data on it or resources to help some of these kids,” said Dr. Daniel B. Blatt, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the clinic. “So we decided to create our own clinic to not only treat these children but also investigate the nuances of the syndrome.”

Since long-haul COVID-19 symptoms can be general and caused by other infections, Dr. Blatt says infectious disease doctors at specialized clinics can help to determine if the symptoms are from COVID-19 or a separate illness. Once determined, Dr. Blatt says a patient may be referred to a specialist, such as a pulmonologist or a cardiologist, or come back for a follow-up appointment at the clinic. 

What Can a Community Do to Help?

As a community, here is what we can do to help a child or teenager with long-haul COVID-19: 

• Provide emotional support to the patient and family struggling to find relief right now
• Schools and communities should continue to monitor outbreaks and act accordingly to provide flexible learning opportunities. 
• Schools should also adhere to CDC guidelines for COVID prevention. 

How Can Long-Haul COVID-19 be Prevented?

At this point, the best way to prevent COVID-19 infection is through vaccination and wearing face masks to prevent transmission. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Trusted Source recommends COVID-19 vaccination for adults and children 12 and older. The more people who get vaccinated, the more protection younger children will have. 

Researchers are continuing to study the safety and efficacy of the vaccines in younger kids who are not currently eligible to get vaccinated.

*Grey, H. (2021, June 13). What Long-Haul COVID-19 Is Like for Children and Teenagers. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-long-haul-covid-19-is-like-for-children-and-teenagers#Taking-steps-to-prevent-long-COVID

Much about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is still not fully understood. As research progresses and our knowledge of the virus increases, information about it can change rapidly. We strive to update all of our articles as quickly as possible, but some “lag” may occur between scientific developments and our revisions.