UK funded studies on Long Covid in children ignored
Media narrative of "lockdown babies" promoted while cognitive impairment, and reinfections increasing LC ignored
The CLoCK Consortium is the UK government's research arm into Long Covid in children. Their early papers claiming Long Covid in children was rare and the same as other common post viral syndromes received significant media coverage, however since 2023 the work produced by this group has barely been mentioned by the media, and hasn't led to updated guidance or information from the NHS, UKHSA, JCVI or the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
A study published on 10 May 2023 concluded that,
“Our predominant, and actionable, finding is that children and youth with long COVID following likely infection with Omicron (both first infection and reinfection) have a similar profile to CYP with long COVID after infection with other variants and that substantial numbers of CYP are likely to be impacted.”
Let's take a look at a couple more recent papers.
Cognitive Impairment
There has been lots of talk in the media about increases in behavioural and mental health issues in children, however discussion has entirely focused on blaming lockdowns and mobile phones. The numbers were going in the wrong direction prior to the pandemic for many reasons, but when considering the factors behind increases since 2020 the failure to include Covid in the conversation seems bizarre.
Long Covid in children up to 24 months after infection
Almost 25% of children met the definition of Long covid with three more more symptoms after Over 7% had three or more symptoms at the two year mark.
Of great concern is that children who were reinfected reported more symptoms.
The findings on reinfections leading to more symptoms is at odds with the reasoning of the JCVI for removing from parents the choice to have their children vaccinated. The JCVI based mainly on the advice of Shamez Ladhani, UK clinical lead for Covid in children, previously stated that infections lead to children developing broad and robust immunity. Reinfections were said to have no effect on the risk of Long Covid.
The UK government has tended to almost exclusively rely on research its commissioned to inform policy development. In regards to children the majority of this evidence base has been authored by Ladhani, whose role for the UK has made him in recent years the most cited paedatrician in the world. He also sat on one of the WHO’s main advisory groups, and yet these papers which he coathored have dissappeared into the ether as far as the media are concerned.
Lockdown Babies
The UK media has instead coined the phrase “lockdown babies” with a succession of stories focused on claiming that developmental issues in children born in 2020 and even more recently are due to lockdowns.
The latest of these stories focused on language delays, however the scale of the problem estimated from a survey appears to be grossly exaggerated.
The narrative has even been accepted by the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
@_Catinthehat has provided some excellent commentary on this subject after Speech and Language UK began blocking accounts questioning the claims lockdowns were responsible.
