Youngsters across Britain are thought to be suffering with symptoms of the virus months after being infected, putting them at risk of serious health problems
Parents of children with so-called 'long Covid' are urging ministers to roll out vaccines for young people as soon as possible.
More than 70,000 kids across Britain are thought to be suffering with symptoms of the virus months after being infected, putting them at risk of serious health problems.
But mums and dads say youngsters are being ignored as vaccines are distributed to the nation - with it not yet guaranteed if under 18s will be jabbed at all.
The founders of Long Covid Kids, a support group, are now urging the Government to vaccinate children quickly amid growing fears.
Most do not become severely unwell when they are infected but there is said to be unease among parents that the virus can do long-term damage to some.
Symptoms of 'long Covid' include headaches, Âfatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, Âseizures and even paralysis.
Sammie Mcfarland and Frances Simpson, of the group, told Metro.co.uk : "We must be more curious about the long-lasting effects of Covid on children.
"While some are quick to point out that the vaccination has yet to be trialled on children, we would like it noted that neither has the virus and that children who became ill in the first wave are not yet better, with some declining.
"As the government is due to consider when children should return to school, this needs deep consideration."
More than 13million vaccines have already been distributed among the population, with high-risk groups the first to receive their jabs.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has laid out a list of groups who will be inoculated as a priority.
Children appear to be way down at the moment, although health chiefs have said trials are underway.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer, told ITV News it was "perfectly possible" children could be vaccinated by the end of the year.
He said: "I know several (trials) are now under way looking at basically the kind of teenage group, and it is perfectly possible that we will have some licensed children’s vaccines for Covid-19 by the end of the year.
"It is perfectly possible, but not assured."
Mum Helen Goss, 37, previously told how she had kept daughter out of school due to what she believed was 'long Covid' - showing the effect the disease can have on children.
Formerly healthy Anna, eight, has been hospitalised twice in the past ten months after first being hit by the virus in April.
Helen, from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, said: "There is still so little acknowledgment that it exists in kids, it is frustrating - it feels like being dismissed."
She added that the public perception that children were not at serious risk from Covid was incorrect, as her daughter had no underlying health issues when she caught it.
And she said: "Kids are suffering from 'long Covid', there seems to be a lot of denial of that from the medical community and the governments and it's not helpful, the healthcare system is going to struggle."
The cause of 'long Covid' is unclear, but scientists have found some patients have antibodies that attack their own tissue.
The NHS and other bodies are currently working to learn more about the issue of 'long COVID' in children, the Government said.
The Department of Health said previously that new specialist NHS clinics would help children suffering "the debilitating long-term health implications of this virus".
Join the Long-Covid Kids Study in conjunction with the PeopleWithâ„¢ app https://www.longcovidkids.org/long-covid-kids-study
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