Study shows children and teens may likewise experience the long-lasting effects of coronavirus
A study has shown that even children and teens may experience “long COVID”—the virus effects that last for weeks or months.
After monitoring 129 young COVID-19 patients “who were otherwise generally healthy” for about five months after their diagnosis, doctors at a hospital in Italy found that only 42% of them had fully recovered from the disease.
A medRxiv report published by Reuters states that “roughly one in three youngsters still had one or two symptoms and more than one in five had three or more.”
Among the most common persistent concerns that were discovered were insomnia (18.6%), respiratory symptoms like pain and chest tightness (14.7%), nasal congestion (12.4%), fatigue (10.8%), muscle pain (10.1%), joint pain (6.9%), and concentration difficulties (10.1%).
“Although these issues were more common in children who had been obviously sick, they also developed in infected youths with few or no symptoms initially,” the article read.
It’s certainly best, especially for children, to stay home during the current pandemic. Since this could mean more time for them on social media, UNICEF said parents can ensure their online safety by “knowing who they communicate with and how, using parental controls like safe search, spending time with them online to identify age appropriate apps, games, and other online entertainment, promoting good behavior online and on video calls, and encouraging them to use digital tools to get them up and moving.”
