Long Covid Kids Acknowledged By The UK Covid Inquiry
- Long Covid Kids
- Oct 31, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 26
Three key Long Covid charities - Long Covid SOS, Long Covid Kids and Long Covid Support have been granted core participant status in Module 2 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, meaning they now form part of the official inquiry into the Government’s handling and decision-making around the Covid pandemic.
All three organisations have been fighting for recognition and providing support for the millions of adults, children and young people across the UK - victims of Covid infections, either mild or severe – who went on to develop Long Covid, a multi-system condition which can cause life-changing illness.
Latest figures from ONS suggest that 2.3 million people in the UK currently have Long Covid. Included in this figure are 101,000 children aged 16 and under and almost 1 million people aged 25-49 in the prime of their working lives. 1.1 million have been sick for over a year.
Standing together with Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice in seeking justice for lost and radically changed lives, the groups are calling for the inquiry to focus on the following key questions:
Why was there no acknowledgement early in the pandemic that SARS-CoV-2 could cause a devastating chronic illness despite evidence from previous pandemics? As a result, those with Long Covid were not believed and have struggled ever since to get care.
Why has the impact of Long Covid been consistently ignored in government policy-making decisions? This has led to a lack of awareness among the general public regarding the true risks of Long Covid, preventing them from making informed decisions about taking necessary precautions.
Why is healthcare funding for Long Covid so inadequate in the face of a huge and growing demand? There are still no validated treatments for Long Covid
Why are there no public health measures in place to stop more people from joining the Long Covid statistics? This is a preventable health condition which currently has no cure.
Why were children’s Covid-19 infections, hospital admissions and deaths analysed against adult data rather than the paediatric population?
“If Long Covid Kids are able to submit evidence to the Covid Inquiry, I would be delighted. Covid reaches sections of the population who sometimes did not hit the headlines - very young long-term sufferers of Long Covid being amongst these groups. I very much hope the Inquiry will hear what young people have been and are still going through”
“Long Covid Kids are committed to ensuring that all children should be able to thrive and look forward to a positive future. Children are our future.
We welcome the opportunity to participate collaboratively as core applicants in the Covid Inquiry to represent the growing community of families, children and young people living with long-term health effects of SARS- CoV-2. It is time to bring Long Covid and Paediatric Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS) to the forefront of the public conversation.
“Long Covid is a preventable condition; there is no time to lose to reduce the risk of repeated SARS-CoV-2 infection and minimise the incidence of Long Covid. We sincerely hope participation in the Inquiry will assist the government to this end. Children are the victims of the early false narrative that said children and young people were not a risk from Sars-CoV-2. Their families are living with the heartbreaking reality that this reassurance was wrong.
“Families are significantly impacted. Increased caring duties prohibit employment opportunities, crippling household incomes at a time when the cost of living is already hurting families. Children are unable to access education and often miss out on social activities. “Our recent reinfection survey in collaboration with Long Covid Support makes clear that reinfection makes Long Covid worse in 58% of CYP who were in recovery or remission. It also highlights that each repeat infection poses a risk of Long Covid. Paediatric biomedical research is a priority.”
Keep up-to-date with the UK COVID-19 Inquiry on their website and YouTube channel.
Read the Notice of Determination regarding our core participant application for Module 1.
Find out more about our visit to No 10 Downing Street on 1st April 2022.
BBC - Long Covid: Children affected take fight to Downing Street
BBC - Yeovil long Covid patient delivers Downing Street petition
Press & Journal - ‘We need help’: Nine-year-old girl battling long Covid in plea to the prime minister
SKY FYI - FYI episode 166 - Shown on SKY news.
Daily Express - Long Covid campaigners descend on Downing Street as 119,000 UK kids suffer horror symptoms
About
In 2021 Long Covid Kids became the first UK-based, international registered charity advocating for families, children and young people living with Long Covid.
The charity focuses on recognition, support and recovery, has already received recognition from the NHS and the Centre for Disease Control in the USA, and is a recommended resource in the NICE Long Covid guidelines.
Our Mission
Purpose
We believe all children should be able to thrive and look forward to a positive future. That is why we represent and support children and young people living with Long Covid and related illnesses and the parents and caregivers that look after them.
Our Vision
To achieve recognition, support and recovery for Long Covid and related illnesses in children and young people
Support Our Work
While children are living with life-changing symptoms and families struggle to seek support, we need to be here. Your donation will be used directly to support families living with Long Covid. Find out more about our Impact.
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