Study: 11% of Israeli children recovering from Covid-19 suffer from long-term symptoms
Tel Aviv, 17 September 2021 (TPS/MIA) — About 11 percent of Israeli children who have recovered from the coronavirus (Covid-19) suffer from persistent symptoms, known as Long Covid, an Israeli Health Ministry study shows.
Between 6.4 and 8.1 percent of the recoveries were left with transient symptoms beyond six months, depending on their age. The study found that the older the child, the higher the chance of the child contending with Long Covid.
Among children aged 3-6 years, long-term symptoms were found among 1.8 percent, compared with 4.6 percent among 12 to 18 year olds.
A correlation was also found between symptomatic illness and the likelihood of experiencing long-term symptoms. Among adolescents aged 12-18 years who developed symptoms, 5.6 percent had Long Covid, as opposed to 3.5 percent among those who did not experience symptoms when confirmed to be positive for the virus.
According to the parents, more than a third of the children in the survey displayed an aggravation of neurological, emotional, or cognitive symptoms, such as sleep disorders or difficulty concentrating, compared to the pre-corona period.
In conclusion, based on the cumulative findings in the world, it is evident the coronavirus has long-term effects not only on the adult population but also among children.
The long-term pandemic means there are thousands of children in Israel with long-term symptoms, the report underscored.
According to the Ministry of Health, 5,743 students tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, 7.1 percent of the tests, higher than the national average of about 6 percent.
About 160,000 students are in quarantine, with 43,645 of them defined as active patients.