Experts say that the symptoms of long covid in children are starting to be reported
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Consultant Pediatrician, Ida Safitri Laksanawati, stated that children have the same risk of exposure to Covid-19 as adults. He said the thing that needs to be considered if a child is exposed to Covid-19 is the symptoms of long covid which are now starting to be widely reported.
“Children have the same risk of exposure to Covid-19 than adults. But we know the severity and risk of death or fatality is lower,” said Ida in a webinar held by the Lentera Anak Foundation, Thursday (2/9).
Children, he said, have a lower risk than adults or the elderly. However, when compared with other children, younger children are at a higher risk of developing more severe disease. Especially if the child has a history of premature birth because the immune system has not worked properly.
Ida said that another thing to watch out for was obesity in children. According to him, there have been many case reports of obese children who have a higher risk of becoming more severely ill. Then the presence of comorbidities is also one of the other risk factors.
“Death in children occurs in those who have comorbidities or with pre-existing diseases,” said the doctor from Gadjah Mada University.
Ida then touched on the issue of long covid in children. He said that it must be watched out for because there have been many reports regarding this matter. However, persistent or prolonged symptoms in the child are generally mild, not severe.
“About 12 percent occur in children aged 2-11 years who still continue to complain of complaints of being weak, coughing, for up to five weeks. Then the older child he also still gets similar complaints,” he said.
He further explained the symptoms that arise due to long covid in children, including difficulty sleeping, feeling tired, finding it difficult to concentrate, and others. Concerning the difficulty of concentrating, he said, education staff or parents must pay close attention to this because the children have done limited face-to-face learning (PTM).
“Children who were recorded that they had been exposed later seemed to have obstacles in learning, maybe it was part of the long covid. But yes, of course there are things (follow-up examinations) that must be followed,” he explained.
Ida explained that efforts to prevent exposure to Covid-19 for children are actually not much different from adults. The continuous application of health protocols (Prokes) and 5M, as well as by giving vaccinations to adults as well as children aged 12-17 years, can be a comprehensive effort to reduce the rate of transmission of Covid-19 in children.
“Prevention by consistently implementing health procedures coupled with the provision of vaccinations is a comprehensive effort to suppress the rate of transmission of Covid-19 in children,” he explained.
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