LCK In The News

"Although we are pleased by this commitment from the NHS to recognise long covid, we have ongoing concerns about the lack of paediatric services for children with covid-19...

Many of the parents in online support groups share this concern, describing their fear at the strange and fluctuating symptoms experienced by their children, their frustration at the lack of medical care, and their struggles to be believed."

Most children who catch Covid have mild or even asymptomatic cases.

But that's small consolation to the parents who've seen their happy, healthy children completely debilitated for months with long Covid.

And with lockdown restrictions lifting this week, experts and parents fear more unvaccinated children across the country will be at greater risk of developing the harrowing illness.

"Sammie Mcfarland, CEO of Long Covid Kids, told i concerned parents whose children’s symptoms aren’t reflected in official advice have no option but to lie or fail to get their children tested"

Longer-term (or ‘post-acute effects’) of Covid-19 in children (including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children [MIS-C] and long Covid) are well-described. But there is a lack of robust evidence about the prevalence of these conditions. In this blog we summarise findings from a rapid review of the evidence. These findings indicate to us the need for a precautionary approach in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) with greater efforts to prevent children from being infected during the current Omicron outbreak. Protections for children could include improvements to ventilation, mask use, and vaccine equity, and a lower threshold for closing schools and early childhood facilities with greater support for temporary home learning when community transmission is high.