Long COVID in Kids: Common Symptoms
- A recent study in JAMA Pediatrics highlights the most common long COVID symptoms in young children, including infants.
- Tanayott Thaweethai, associate director of biostatistics research at Massachusetts general Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, noted the lack of research on long COVID in the...
- The study, part of the NIH-funded RECOVER initiative, examined symptoms in 472 infants and toddlers and 539 preschool-aged children.
Understand the common long COVID symptoms affecting infants and young children. This study spotlights the primary indicators of Long COVID in kids,including poor appetite,sleep disturbances,and cough. Conducted as part of the NIH-funded RECOVER initiative,the research pinpoints how frequently these symptoms manifest in children aged five and under after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Discover how the presence of a wet or dry cough, along with fatigue, can signal a child’s potential battle with long COVID. News Directory 3 delivers crucial insights into the latest findings on the impact of COVID-19 on the youngest members of our community. What further steps can protect children? Discover what’s next.
Study Pinpoints Long COVID Symptoms in Young Children
Updated June 05, 2025
A recent study in JAMA Pediatrics highlights the most common long COVID symptoms in young children, including infants. Researchers found that dry cough, wet cough, sleep problems and low energy were prominent in children aged 5 and under.
Tanayott Thaweethai, associate director of biostatistics research at Massachusetts general Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, noted the lack of research on long COVID in the youngest age groups. ”First it was recognized that adults can get long COVID, and then it became apparent that children were experiencing long COVID too,” Thaweethai said. “There were many studies looking into long COVID symptoms experienced by children, but very few looked at the youngest children specifically.”
Infographic detailing long COVID symptoms in young children.
The study, part of the NIH-funded RECOVER initiative, examined symptoms in 472 infants and toddlers and 539 preschool-aged children. Caregivers reported on a list of 41 to 75 symptoms,depending on the child’s age. researchers defined prolonged symptoms as those lasting over 4 weeks, starting or worsening after the pandemic’s onset, and present at the time of the survey (March 2022 to July 2024).
among infants and toddlers with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, 41% experienced at least one prolonged symptom, compared to 25% without prior infection. Poor appetite, trouble sleeping, wet cough, dry cough and stuffy nose showed the strongest links to prior infection. In preschool-aged children, 45% with COVID-19 history had prolonged symptoms, versus 37% without. Daytime tiredness and dry cough were most strongly associated with previous infection.
Thaweethai emphasized that thes symptoms were substantially elevated in children with a history of COVID-19, even when compared to children experiencing other common illnesses.
“What was really fascinating is that even though we might typically think of these as general, non-specific symptoms, they were really elevated in children who had a history of COVID compared to those who didn’t, even though our comparative group of children who did not have COVID still were experiencing other illnesses… like the cold and other normal things that young children get,”
The study’s release coincided with discussions about COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for children. Thaweethai noted that while this study didn’t examine vaccination status,evidence suggests vaccination can prevent COVID-19 and possibly long COVID in children.Currently, there are no proven treatments for pediatric long COVID.
“Vaccination is one of the only tools for preventing long COVID in children,” Thaweethai said.
What’s next
Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of COVID-19 and the potential benefits of vaccination in preventing long COVID in young children.