Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of long covid in children; and what assessment he has made of the effect of covid-19 infection on lung health.

The latest prevalence data for ‘long’ COVID-19 published by the Office for National Statistics estimated that 18,000 children aged two to 11 years old and 35,000 children aged 12 to 16 years old were experiencing self-reported ‘long’ COVID-19 symptoms as at 5 September 2021.

COVID-19 is a new disease and therefore it is not yet clear what the physical, neurological, psychological and rehabilitation needs will be for those experiencing the long-term effects of the virus, including lung health. The Government has invested £50 million in research to help build our understanding of ‘long’ COVID-19.