'Long COVID' a concern among one-in-seven children: report

Data from Canada and the UK found that fully vaccinated people infected with COVID are 50 percent less likely to experience “Long COVID” than unvaccinated people.

Global News reported that most COVID patients recovered within just a few weeks — though some have experienced severe long-term symptoms, including fatigue, pain, difficulty breathing, hypertension and cognitive problems described by many as "brain fogs" for a month or longer following a positive result.

"In terms of the burden of long COVID, it’s good news that our research has found that having a double vaccination significantly reduces the risk of both catching the virus and, if you do, developing long-standing symptoms," said Dr. Claire Steves, the study’s lead author in a release.

Researchers in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal compiled data from nearly 1.2 million UK adults to conduct the study.

"Among our frail, older adults and those living in deprived areas, the risk is still significant, and they should be urgently prioritized for second and booster vaccinations."

Though children rarely become severely ill with COVID, they too can suffer lingering symptoms. As many as one in seven children may have symptoms linked to COVID months after testing positive, reported CTV News.

Eleven to 17-year-olds who tested positive for COVID were twice as likely to report three or more symptoms 15 weeks later than those who had tested negative.

Among 3,065 COVID positive 11- to 17-year-olds surveyed in England, 14 percent reported three or more symptoms such as unusual tiredness or headaches 15 weeks later.

Among 3,739 COVID negative 11- to 17-year-olds, seven percent reported similar symptoms.

The researchers said as many as 32,000 UK teenagers might have had multiple symptoms linked to COVID after 15 weeks from testing positive. But the prevalence of long COVID among that age group was lower than expected.

"Overall, it's better than people would've guessed back in December," said Professor Terence Stephenson of the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

The authors said that any decision to extend vaccination to 12- to 15-year-olds in Britain was "unlikely," citing insufficient data on whether vaccination protects against long COVID.

A white paper study published in June not yet peer-reviewed found that nearly a quarter of COVID patients reported new health issues long after they had recovered from the disease.

A recent review of data from the Public Health Agency of Canada corroborated the results from the UK report, citing more than half of COVID patients suffering from long-term symptoms over 12 weeks after testing positive.

Other notable results from the study suggested fully vaccinated people were over 70 percent less likely to be hospitalized and had a 31 percent less chance of developing long COVID symptoms.

As of Friday, over 1.45 million Canadians have contracted the disease and survived.

Professor Tim Spector from King’s College London, a contributor to the study, pointed to vaccinations as "massively" reducing chances of experiencing long COVID, but remained concerned over the potential for COVID "long-haulers" in Canada.

"Firstly, by reducing the risk of any symptoms by eight to 10 fold and then by halving the chances of any infection turning into Long COVID if it does happen," he said. "The duration of symptoms we see with infections after two vaccinations are also much milder, so vaccines are really changing the disease and for the better."

Sector added that he and his colleagues are encouraging people to get their second jab "as soon as they can."