Children's Risk of Long COVID Doubles After Second COVID-19 Infection
A new large-scale study reveals that children are at more than twice the risk of developing long COVID after a second infection, underscoring the importance of prevention through vaccination and health measures.
A recent comprehensive study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases has highlighted an increased risk of long COVID in children following reinfection. The research, involving over 460,000 children and adolescents from 40 pediatric hospitals across the United States, indicates that children who contracted COVID-19 for the second time during the Omicron variant wave are more than twice as likely to develop long COVID compared to their first infection.
The study, conducted as part of the RECOVER Initiative, is the largest to examine the long-term effects of COVID-19 reinfection in the pediatric population. Researchers analyzed electronic health records from January 2022 to October 2023, a period marked by the widespread transmission of Omicron. They distinguished health outcomes after children's initial COVID-19 infection from those after subsequent reinfections.
Findings revealed that approximately 904 children per million developed long COVID within six months after their first infection. This number rose to about 1,884 per million following a second infection, illustrating a significant increase in risk regardless of vaccination status, age, gender, race, ethnicity, or the presence of overweight or obesity.
The increased risk was also associated with a variety of persistent and potentially serious health conditions, such as myocarditis (heart inflammation), blood clots, kidney injuries, cognitive impairments, fatigue, and respiratory issues. These findings emphasize that while vaccination and preventive measures like masking can reduce the likelihood of infection and reinfection, they do not eliminate the risk entirely.
The authors stress the importance of ongoing preventive strategies to reduce COVID-19 cases among children. Strengthening vaccination coverage and adhering to protective practices remain crucial to lowering the chances of long-term health impacts in the young population.
This research reinforces the need for vigilant public health efforts and highlights that preventing initial and subsequent COVID-19 infections is key to protecting children from lasting health consequences.
[Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-covid-children-high-infection.html]
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