Policy & Parliamentary
Long Covid in Children: An Overlooked Driver of the School Attendance Crisis
More than 111,000 UK children are living with Long Covid, and many are now struggling to attend school because of it.
With national monitoring of Long Covid now discontinued, policymakers lack a clear picture of how many children are affected or how the condition is impacting education and healthcare systems.
Key Statistics
For Long Covid Awareness 2026
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111,000 UK children aged 3–17 were estimated to be living with Long Covid (ONS, 2024).
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This equates to around 1 in 100 children.
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More than 20,000 children report severe limitations to daily activities including school attendance.
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Cases nearly doubled between 2023 and 2024, equivalent to around 1,000 new paediatric cases per week before national monitoring stopped.
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25% of infected children still had symptoms after 3 months (CLoCk study).
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Nearly one-third had not recovered two years later.
More than 100,000 UK children are living with Long Covid, and many can no longer attend school normally.
COMING SOON
Statistics from around the world.
Module 2
Core UK decision-making and political governance.
Opened August 2022.
Module 3
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems in the 4 nations of the UK.
Opened November 2022.
Module 8
Children and Young People.
Opened May 2024.
Long Covid Awareness Briefing
Paediatric Long Covid is not rare and is increasingly affecting children’s ability to attend school and participate in daily life.
The latest UK data suggested over 111,000 children aged 3–17 were living with Long Covid, with many experiencing severe symptoms that affect their ability to attend school and participate in daily life.
Evidence shows Long Covid can be multi-systemic and long-lasting affecting the immune system, cardiovascular and neurological systems. Despite this, national data collection has stopped, specialist services are closing, and schools lack guidance on how to support affected pupils.
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Child illness-related absence remains almost 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels according to Department for Education data (1).
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Teacher illness absence remains almost 40% higher than pre-pandemic, increasing disruption and costs for schools (2).
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Surveys suggest many children with Long Covid struggle to attend school regularly; affected pupils can lose over 20 hours of learning per week due to symptoms.
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Promised DfE guidance for supporting pupils with Long Covid has not yet been published.
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The most recent survey from the Office of National Statistics estimated that over 111,000 children (around 1 in 100) aged 3–17 in England and Scotland were living with Long Covid (3).
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Between March 2023 to March 2024, numbers nearly doubled, equivalent to around 1,000 new paediatric cases per week before national surveillance stopped.
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More than 20,000 children reported severe limitations to daily activities including school attendance and physical activity.
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The UK-based CLoCk study found that nearly a third of children with Long Covid had not recovered two years after infection (4).
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Long Covid can affect multiple organ systems even after mild SARS-Cov2 infection.
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Immune dysfunction: Children may become more susceptible to infections and chronic immune dysregulation (5,6).
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Cardiovascular effects: Covid has been described as ‘a vascular disease masquerading as a respiratory one’. Studies show increased risks of conditions like myocarditis and pericarditis (7).
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Post-infection Chronic Illness: A substantial proportion of Long Covid patients meet diagnostic criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E). Severe cases can leave children housebound or bedbound for extended periods (8,9).
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When including adults, the impact on individuals and society is significant: “Current estimates of the cost are upwards of £22 billion per year.”(10).
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Neurological effects:. Rising school absences are frequently attributed to mental health concerns alone, overlooking the role of physical illness.
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SARS-CoV-2 infection can produce long term neurological effects, including cognitive impairment (brain fog) and sensory sensitivities. Abnormal neuroimaging findings including brain lesions, have been reported in 44% of children with post-COVID neurological symptoms (11).
Other Overlapping Illnesses
Children and adults with Long Covid frequently develop complex conditions including dysautonomia, POTS, MCAS, EDS, PANS and diabetes.
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Each COVID infection increases the risk of developing Long Covid.
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The US NIH RECOVER study revealed that children and teenagers were twice as likely to develop Long Covid after a second infection (10).
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Other research shows reinfections are associated with increased cardiovascular disease, diabetes and neurological symptoms (11).
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Indoor air quality in UK classrooms has been described by the Building Engineering Services Association as “a national scandal”(12).
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Most school buildings still rely primarily on natural ventilation.
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Evidence shows that air filtration can significantly reduce airborne virus transmission and illness in classrooms, improving both pupil and staff health.
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Long Covid has significant financial impacts on families, including lost earnings and additional healthcare costs.
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Estimates suggest Long Covid costs the UK economy billions annually, including £5.7 billion in lost productivity in 2023.
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The long-term impacts on young people's education, employment and economic participation remain poorly assessed.
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Children with Long Covid often experience delays in diagnosis, limited access to specialist care and a lack of recognition within education and healthcare systems.
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National tracking of infections and Long Covid prevalence has largely stopped.
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Most specialist Long Covid clinics have closed despite continuing demand (13).
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There is no ringfenced funding for paediatric Long Covid servies.
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https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools/2025-week-29 https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a5405ae9-bc96-4f9d-0334-08de61792ac0
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https://johnsnowproject.org/primers/sars-cov-2-leaves-a-lasting-mark-on-the-immune-system/
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https://www.meresearch.org.uk/estimating-me-cfs-prevalence-in-individuals-with-long-covid/
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https://www.thereforme.uk/p/the-case-for-change-for-people-with
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https://www.thebesa.com/besa-latest-news/classroom-air-quality-a-national-scandal
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https://www.longcovidkids.org/post/disabled-discharged-and-disappearing-from-view
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https://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-invests-ps27m-air-quality-filters-schools-clean-air-classrooms
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RECOVER
Long Covid in Young Children, School-Aged Children, and Teens
Policy Priorities
March is Long Covid Awareness Month, and children cannot afford another year of inaction.
Restore National Surveillance
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Reinstate monitoring of Long Covid prevalence in children and adults
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Improve tracking of COVID infections and wastewater surveillance.
Invest in Research and Treatment
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Increase funding for bio-medical research and treatment trials.
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Ensure paediatric trials are included, with dedicated funding.
Improve Healthcare Support
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Halt closures of Long Covid clinics.
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Establish services in all UK nations.
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Improve clinical training and awareness.
Support Affected Pupils
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Publish long promised DfE guidance for schools
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Provide appropriate educational accommodations.
Improve Indoor Air Quality in Schools
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Invest in ventilation and air filtration to reduce transmission of airborne illnesses. (14)
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The London Mayor has already invested £2.7m in air quality filters for schools
Germany has recognised the scale of the crisis and recently announced €0.5bn for post-viral chronic illnesses like Long Covid. (15)
Don't Forget About Us
Parent of a Child with Long Covid M.E
"The government claims to want to get children back to school and adults back to work but is failing to consider the health impacts of the pandemic.
I had to give up work to care full time for my son who is bedbound with Long Covid and M.E. and unable to access education or home healthcare. Germany is apparently investing €500 million in research but the UK is closing all the long covid services and our children remain largely unsupported and invisible!”
