One in seven children with Covid still suffers three months later – study | Long Covid

Up to one in seven children who test positive for coronavirus could still show symptoms related to the disease three months later, according to a study which suggests that the prevalence of long Covid among young people is lower than initially feared.

The analysis, led by researchers at University College London and Public Health England, drew on survey responses from nearly 7,000 young people aged 11 to 17 who underwent PCR tests between January and March. Of these, 3,065 tested positive and 3,739 tested negative.

Many children in both groups reported at least one symptom associated with the coronavirus when they were interviewed an average of 15 weeks after their test. About 30% of people in the positive group reported having at least three or more symptoms after this time, and about 16% in the negative group.

The difference between the two groups suggests that the symptoms of about one in seven children in the positive group may have been linked to Covid. The most common symptoms included unusual fatigue and headaches.

“The difference between the positive and negative groups is greater if we look at multiple symptoms, those who tested positive are twice as likely to report three or more symptoms 15 weeks later,” the lead author said. study, Sir Terence Stephenson, a professor at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and chairman of the Health Research Authority.

When extrapolated to all those in the 11-17 age group who tested positive between September and March in England, the results suggest that between 4,000 and 32,000 young people may have had three or more related symptoms. to Covid-19 infection after 15 weeks.

Reassuringly, the researchers found no difference in mental health and well-being scores between children who tested positive or negative. However, four in 10 participants – whether they tested positive or negative – said they were worried, sad or unhappy, which may reflect general anxiety around the pandemic.

The prevalence figures are roughly of the same order of magnitude as those reported by the Office for National Statistics, which reflects estimates of the long self-reported prevalence of Covid, regardless of duration. ONS figures indicate that around 31,000 people in the 11 to 17 age group have a long Covid, Stephenson said. “It’s the kind of stadium we’re in. “

However, these estimates are “definitely lower than the worst-case scenarios described last December,” he said.

Since the analysis was based on tests carried out until March 2021, it is not clear how these results can translate for the Delta variant, which only started to dominate from May. Data shows that Delta is much more transmissible and capable of causing more severe disease than previous variants, especially in unvaccinated adult populations.

Dr Deepti Gurdasani, clinical epidemiologist at Queen Mary University in London, noted that at the peak of childhood infections in July, around 14,000 children were infected per day.

“One in seven would mean that around 2,000 would develop persistent symptoms for 15 weeks each day. How the hell is that reassuring?” Gurdasani said.

The Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization (JCVI) has recommended that children over 12 in the UK only get vaccinated if they are clinically extremely vulnerable or live with someone at risk.

Dr Liz Whittaker, another of the study’s authors and clinical lecturer in pediatric infectious diseases and immunology at Imperial College London, said: “Most of the young people we saw were symptomatic, but they are very mildly symptomatic. Long Covid in Young People is not something that follows serious illness. Vaccination prevents serious illnesses. It is therefore very difficult to link them in a vaccination decision. “

The authors pointed out that this study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, is particularly robust because it used the gold standard PCR test for infection status instead of the less reliable tests for self-reported or self-reported status. lateral flow, and because it included a Covid-negative Comparison Control Group.