Doctor Warns Unvaccinated Kids May Suffer From Long COVID-19 Side Effects

Doctors in Kentucky are raising concerns over unvaccinated children potentially suffering from severe COVID-19 symptoms over a long period, one of which could be life-threatening.

One or two out of every 100 children who get COVID-19 may experience long-haul COVID-19 side effects such as fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety and depression, regardless of the severity of the initial infection.

Additionally, one out of every 3,200 children will develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which is a rare condition wherein different body parts become inflamed. This includes the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain and eyes. If left untreated, the child may have lasting organ damage. In severe cases, the child may die of MIS-C.

“The big takeaway is that while many kids have mild or asymptomatic disease, this is still an illness that you don’t want your kids to get if you can help it,” Dr. Kristina Bryant, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Norton Children’s Hospital, said during a weekly COVID-19 briefing.

Dr. Bryant has urged parents whose children are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to get them vaccinated, adding that the vaccines help prevent severe illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.

Long-COVID is estimated to affect 10% to 30% of children. Many can also struggle with the symptoms for half a year or longer. Treating long-haul COVID-19 symptoms may require doctors of various specialties, including pulmonologists, cardiologists, neurologists and rehab specialists. Some children may also be asked to make changes in their diet, hygiene and sleep patterns to help improve their conditions, Dr. Sindhu Mohandas with Children's Hospital Los Angeles told ABC7.

The warnings come after health officials in the United States registered 173,591 new child COVID-19 cases between Feb. 10 to 17 alone. The new figures bring the country’s total of pediatric infections to 12,515,391, representing 19% of all cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.

Among states reporting, children accounted for 1.4% to 4.6% of all hospitalizations with COVID-19, according to a joint report from The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

As of Tuesday, only children aged 5 and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Children aged 4 and under may need to wait until April to become eligible for the shots.