Children Recovering from Long Covid

Most children who get COVID-19 will have mild symptoms and get better quickly. But a small number of older children may have symptoms that last longer. This is called post-COVID-19 condition or Long COVID.

For most children with mild COVID-19, they will be back to normal within a week. A small number of children might take up to 2-4 weeks to feel back to normal.

The most important is to make sure that your child gets enough sleep.

Encourage them to eat and drink normally.

Parents don’t need to restrict children from doing activities they feel like doing.

Long COVID or post-COVID-19 condition are the terms used to describe symptoms that continue for more than 12 weeks after a positive test.

For a child or a person to have a diagnosis of post-COVID-19 condition, their symptoms need to be having an impact on their everyday functioning. And cannot be explained by another condition.

Nearly all children will fully recover and return back to normal health.

1.  What are the symptoms of 

LONG COVID-19?

The most common symptoms in children are:

• Changes to sense of taste and smell

• Unusual tiredness/fatigue

• Headaches

• Dfficulty concentrating/brain fog

Children can also have:

• Muscle aches

• Joint pain

• Prolonged cough

• Low mood

• Dizziness

• Difficulty sleeping

• Chest pain

• Breathlessness

• Fast-beating or pounding heart

• New or worsening urinary symptoms

Symptoms can sometimes come and go and will vary between children.

Some children and young people have similar ongoing symptoms after other viral infection (glandular fever).

2. How can I care for my child with 

    ongoing COVID symptoms?

Some things you can do to help your child:

• Have a routine in place

• Make sure they are drinking well

• Encourage your child to sit up out of bed some of the time

• Do gentle exercise, even if it’s just walking

• Talk to your child’s early childhood center or school about how they can gradually ease back into their education

• Keep in touch with family and friends as it is very hard to be isolated from friends which can have negative impact on child’s wellbeing.