Children are freely exposed to COVID-19 in schools without scientifically recognised safety measures in place. Child COVID-19 hospital admissions are the highest that they have ever been Government Data for Children.

Usual winter viruses have not yet begun circulating. Hospital admissions for winter viruses will be in addition to COVID-19 child admissions.

Prevention needs attention. We need to reduce the impact on children.

It is reported that at least 1 in 7 children who are infected with COVID-19 will experience symptoms beyond 3 months Research.

Many of the 3,750 children in the Long Covid Kids Support group were infected in the first wave and have not yet returned to their previous state of health. This is concerning. Among them is my daughter Kitty.

Kitty was 14 when she got COVID19, she was fit, healthy and a keen ballet dancer. We had booked her fitting appointment for her first pointe shoes. A dream that she had been working towards, and now one she may never achieve. 

We now know Kitty had Long Covid.

Kitty had 'mild' COVID-19 symptoms, she wasn't hospitalised and she initially seemed to recover, although was more tired than usual in the first few weeks of her 'recovery'.

How it started.

6 weeks after Kitty came out of her isolation period, the colour drained from her face, she collapsed and started clutching her chest. She went to bed, and that is where she stayed for the next 8mths. On the rare occasions when she did manage to come downstairs, she would collapse, and 'relapse', which would result in a dramatic increase in symptoms that could last a week or more.

Long Covid is the patient-led term to describe the ongoing, fluctuating symptoms of COVID-19.  See the WHO definition here.

For months Kitty was unable to walk without support, she had to crawl along the landing to the toilet, and was unable to stand to shower. All her meals were taken in bed, and she would tire from the effort required to eat them. She couldn't lift a drink to her mouth when she was thirsty.

Her main ongoing symptoms have been tachycardia, dizziness, menstrual cycle changes, visual disturbances, dysautonomia, muscle aches, niggling abdominal pain and brain fog. 

19mths on, and jsut a few weeks before her 16th birthday our year 11 child has a school attendance record of 47%. Kitty hasn't managed to return to school, ballet or any normal activity. We still don't have any answers about if or when her symptoms will resolve.

Kitty isn't alone.

Office of National Statistics reports 11,000 children to have Long Covid symptoms beyond 12 months. The only way to prevent Long Covid is to avoid COVID-19 infection. Families need a clear list of COVID-19 symptoms to be able to identify COVID-19 & act to reduce transmission.

The Government COVID-19 symptom list was compiled at the beginning of the pandemic. Currently, parents can only access a PCR test for their child if they display the 'main' symptoms listed on the NHS website;

- A high temperature
- A new, continuous cough 
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. 

These are rarely the COVID-19 symptoms children present with. 

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (the national public health agency for the United States) updated its symptom list in February as have countries around the world.

Parents should be able to access a PCR test for their children to: 

- Keep schools open supporting education and wellbeing of all children
- Keep community transmission under control and the economy moving
- Improve the chance of a correct Long Covid diagnosis 
- Ensure prompt access to one of the 15 paediatric Long Covid hubs if needed.

Long Covid Kids call on the Government, The National Health Security Agency and the NHS to update their websites and provide a comprehensive COVID-19 symptom list to support families, communities and protect the NHS and the staff who care for us all.