- Advertisement -NEW DELHI– Children who are reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19 face more than double the risk of developing long COVID, according to a large U.S. study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. They found that after a first COVID infection, about 904 children per million developed long COVID within six months. Children with long COVID were more likely to experience a range of rare but serious conditions, including heart inflammation (myocarditis), blood clots, kidney injury, cognitive issues, fatigue, and respiratory problems. “These findings add to previous evidence linking pediatric long COVID to multisystem effects and highlight the need to promote vaccination in younger populations and support ongoing research,” said researchers from the universities of Pennsylvania, Iowa, and California. They added that the results show reinfections may contribute to cumulative illness in children, depending on infection history, severity, and vaccination status.