Long COVID

Long Covid is a term to describe the effects of Covid-19 that continue for weeks or months beyond the initial illness. The health watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) defines long Covid as lasting for more than 12 weeks. How long it takes to recover from Covid 19 is different for everybody.

Many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks. But for some people, symptoms can last longer. The chances of having long-term symptoms does not seem to be linked to how ill you are when you first get COVID-19.

Children who had mild symptoms at first can still have long-term problems. Long Covid can impact on a child’s physical, mental, or social wellbeing and can interfere with their daily life (eg, home, school, or relationships).

The NHS guidance on Long COVID can be found here.

Further information on Long COVID for children can be found here.

A summary of Long COVID and its symptoms for both adults and children can be found here.