CDC Findings: Long COVID Rare in Children, Unveiling an Unexpected Trend

New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided insights into the prevalence of long COVID among children, revealing that only a small percentage of them are affected by the condition.

In a recent survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the CDC found that 1.3 percent of children had long COVID in 2022, and the rate has now decreased to 0.5 percent.

Long COVID refers to the range of symptoms that manifest in individuals following a COVID-19 infection. These symptoms can include fatigue, changes in mental health, neurological issues, and even organ damage.

It’s worth noting that persistent post-infection symptoms are not exclusive to COVID. Researchers in the United Kingdom have recently discovered lingering symptoms in individuals recovering from other respiratory illnesses unrelated to COVID.

While the majority of COVID cases do not progress to long COVID, the exact prevalence remains uncertain due to a lack of consensus on the definition of long COVID.

Several studies suggest that interventions, such as vaccination and antiviral treatments, may reduce the likelihood of developing long COVID.

The NCHS survey defined long COVID as experiencing “any symptoms lasting 3 months or longer that you did not have prior to having COVID-19.”

According to the survey, girls and older children between the ages of 12 and 17 were more likely to report long COVID. Additionally, Hispanic children were more than twice as likely as Black and Asian children to have experienced the condition, with 1.9 percent reporting their experience with long COVID.

While Asian children had a significantly lower incidence of long COVID at 0.2 percent, the differences between white, Black, and Hispanic children were not statistically significant, as per the CDC.

The NCHS survey involved interviews with a sample size of 7,464 children, conducted continuously throughout the year.