Covid and Kids
“CogIt started when my brain gave out on me in algebra class one January day in 2022. I couldn’t figure out a simple math problem; all I saw were numbers and symbols. My eyelids drooped, my head hurt, I could barely stay awake. Something wasn’t right. I hadn’t felt like myself since getting COVID-19 a couple weeks earlier. Simple tasks like reading a text or standing up were draining. But what happened in that classroom scared me. At age 14, my life became a state of constant exhaustion, punctuated by doctors’ visits that, months later, would lead to a Long COVID diagnosis.”
A little boy caught Covid in 2022 and never recovered, with his mother fighting in vain for care in upstate NY, repeatedly dismissed by uninformed American doctors in top notch Albany hospital.
the doctor told them that he had Covid, and, while the fever went away after a week, the toddler never fully bounced back. His mother watched the pulse in his neck, drumming against the skin…
…Micah’s primary-care doctor told Keri-Sue the elevated pulse was nothing to worry about, just swollen glands, a vestige of Covid. But Micah, who had grown out of napping, had begun to doze off during the day. He didn’t have the energy to return to his local playgroup…
…’I said we need to be more thorough, and went down a long list. And every single one of them, he was just like, ‘No, no, that’s not what’s happening. Kids are not getting long Covid. No, it’s not anything with his heart, or his fingers would be blue. No, it’s not his liver.’ When we left, I had been given a prescription for an allergy medicine.’…
…Eventually, the doctors confirmed Micah had an enlarged heart and blood clots on his liver. From her earlier Googling, Keri-Sue knew straight away he needed blood thinners, but the clinicians said they wanted to do more tests and start treatment in the morning. At this point, it was early evening, and the family, who had been at the hospital all day, worried about letting another night slip by. They were reassured: ‘We have a whole team of doctors that are working on this, and this is really treatable stuff and he’s very stable right now.’…
…A blood clot had travelled to Micah’s lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism. His heart had stopped beating and they couldn’t revive him. Nothing could be done. They put Micah in his mother’s arms and started counting. One, two, three … when they reached 60 they declared him dead.”
“Evidence is growing that while children have a lower rate of severe acute illness from COVID-19, lingering effects after even seemingly mild cases are impacting millions of children and teens. Between 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 pediatric infections — including both asymptomatic cases and those that are severe — are followed by long COVID symptoms, per a recent JAMA study.
That’s as many as 6 million U.S. children. And research suggests the risk rises with repeat infections. Meanwhile, symptoms can last three years or more
“In the most expansive study of its kind, researchers have for the first time shown serious and prevalent symptoms of #LongCovid in kids and teens.
The study, which followed 5367 children, found that 20% of kids (ages 6-11) and 14% of teens met researchers' threshold for LC”
Increased Emergency Department Visits for Children with Long COVID:
The results showed out of 130,010 children diagnosed with COVID-19, 33.6% had at least 1 long COVID-19 symptom. Children with long COVID-19 symptoms had 152% higher odds of ED visits,
“Far from rare, long COVID in kids is devastating families. Experts say schools can do more to help their students…
…”Schools must make it safe for all children that attend, whether they currently suffer from #LongCovid or not,” Robertson said. “Many children are.. just one more infection away from developing the debilitating effects of long COVID.”
“Children after Covid infection(s) 2 min version I will post a longer version on YouTube What are we doing?”
“Earlier that summer, my daughter tested positive for Covid-19 and had developed a high fever, shortness of breath, shivers, and chest pains. She initially regained her energy and by the time school started, I thought she had recovered. I was wrong. That night I found her lying on the couch was the beginning of my daughter’s difficult journey with Long Covid — a journey that transformed her life, and mine as a single mother.”
Nearly 6M children in the U.S. are affected by #LongCovid, up to 1 in 5 kids experiencing symptoms.
Pediatric Long Covid Awareness Week 2024 Spreading Awareness, Accelerating Research Join us in raising awareness and accelerating research to support children affected by Long Covid.
Characterizing long Covid in children and adolescents
A key study, carried out by an incredible number of researchers
Long COVID is a "public health crisis for kids," experts say New research sheds light on the growing burden of pediatric long COVID while it continues to be ignored
“My 7 year old niece, who contracted Covid 4x during the last school year, no longer knows her cousin (my daughter) nor her Granddad.
A few days before her last infection she told my Mom how much she misses Granddad and how he would give her everything!
The week before her last infection she Facetime my daughter and I to recite her Bible verse for the week.
Then she got Covid, started losing things, has problems with word finding, and obvious memory loss.
This happened in May.
My SIL can’t get her in to see a Neurologist until November because all appointments are taken.
Is this the government AND the citizens of this country have decided is ok?”