Post-acute COVID-19 outcomes in children requiring hospitalisation

Post-acute COVID-19 causes long term sequalae in adults. This is less well described in children. We performed clinical assessments on a large cohort of children and young people admitted with a positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA swab. We assessed for symptoms of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome after 4 weeks or more. We found that most (85%) of children made a full recovery following SARS-CoV-2 infection. A small number had symptoms which lasted for more than 4 weeks, most of which had resolved at 3 months. Symptoms included dry cough, fatigue and headache. One patient suffered from anosmia. We conclude that most children and young people do not suffer from past-acute COVID-19 syndrome, and make a full recovery from infection.

Automated summary

Most children and young people recover fully from SARS-CoV-2 infection without experiencing long-term symptoms of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. However, a small number may have symptoms that last for more than 4 weeks, but most of these symptoms resolve within 3 months.