By Moya Zhao
There have been recent cases where children who have contrasted Covid have begun experiencing long-term symptoms, even when the stage of Covid is mild. This is often called “long Covid,” and as of now, it is most commonly affecting children with only 10 to 30 percent of adults being affected. One example of this came in the form of Will Grogan, a ninth grade student who experienced this.
Will experienced many symptoms in his ninth grade class shortly after being diagnosed with Covid. He stated multiple times that he didn’t recognize the information in his biology class despite having mastered it only days before. He stated “I don’t know what you’re talking about” as well as “I’ve never seen this before.”.
After more research about this aspect of the Coronavirus, it has been found that many have struggles with long-term fatigue, dizziness and aches in joints. Many of these individuals have been struggling to return back to school with these new physical or psychiatric problems. This is only further enhanced as the Delta variant has become even more common.
The Delta variant is a highly contagious variant that causes effects even more severe than any others. It involves the usual symptoms of Covid including coughs, fever or chills, fatigue, headaches, nausea and many more. This leaves non vaccinated and younger individuals most at risk.
“The potential impact is huge,” said Dr. Avindra Nath, chief of infections of the nervous system at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “I mean, they’re in their formative years. Once you start falling behind, it’s very hard because the kids lose their own self-confidence too. It’s a downward spiral.”
The pediatric Covid-19 cases have risen dramatically with children younger than 12 still not eligible for vaccination. Doctors warn parents to stay safe in areas with large crowds of people, wear masks regularly and get medical assistance when experiencing symptoms.
Moya Zhao