• Jiahui Li, Karen Nadua, Chia Yin Chong, and Chee Fu Yung.
• Infectious Disease Service, Department of Paediatrics, KK Women and Children's Hospital, Singapore.
• Ann Acad Med Singap. 2023 Oct 30; 52 (10): 522532522-532.

IntroductionInformation on the quality of health of children and younger persons (CYPs) after SARS-COV-2 infection remains scarce, especially from Asia. In this study, we utilised an online survey to investigate Long COVID prevalence in CYPs in Singapore.MethodThe study was an anonymised online survey of physical and functional symptoms, made available from 14 October 2022 to 15 January 2023. Caregivers of CYPs aged 0 to 18 years were invited to complete the survey on behalf of their CYPs. Participants provided demographic information and their history of SARS-CoV-2 infection status to allow classification into cases and controls for analysis.ResultsA total of 640 completed responses were analysed, 471 (73.6%) were cases and 169 (26.4%) were controls. The prevalence of Long COVID ≥3 months post-infection was 16.8%. This decreased to 8.7% ≥6 months post-infection. Cases had higher odds of developing Long COVID (odds ratio [OR] 2.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31-4.74). The most common symptoms of Long COVID were persistent cough (7.4%), nasal congestion (7.6%) and fatigue (3.0%). Male gender was significantly associated with higher odds of Long COVID (adjusted OR 1.71 [1.04-2.83]). Vaccinated CYPs had lower odds of Long COVID but this was not statically significant (adjusted OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.34-1.25).ConclusionAbout 1 in 6 CYPs in Singapore developed Long COVID with persistence of 1 or more symptoms ≥3 months post-infection, and approximately half will recover by 6 months. Male gender was associated with higher odds of Long COVID, and vaccination could potentially be protective against Long COVID in CYPs.

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