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What did CLoCk Do?
The CLoCk research study used information volunteered by 30,000 11-17 year olds across England to:
- Describe which problems children and young people with Long COVID most commonly experienced
- Come up with a definition of Long COVID for children and young people
- Research how common it is in children and young people
- Find out how long it lasts in children and young people
- Identify risk factors for Long COVID in children and young people
A Summary of Findings
Key findings and contributions have included:
The most common problems were persisting tiredness, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath and headache
A definition of Long COVID for children and young people which has also helped the World Health Organisation develop a global definition
Although ¼ of our participating children and young people met this definition 3 months after testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID, only about ¼ of those children and young people still met this definition 24-months after testing. That is, ¾ of those who met the Long COVID definition 3 months after infection had got better by 2 years after the original infection. Only 7% of our original participants met the definition at all follow-up time points up to 24-months.
We found an increased chance of Long COVID persisting for 24 months in children and young people with a past history of asthma, allergy problems, learning difficulties at school, those with a family history of ongoing COVID-19 problems, those who were older at infection and in girls.
If you would like to learn more
Listen to Professor Terence Stevenson discuss CloCk findings and Long Covid in children and young people in a BBC Sounds special here
We also have a list of our publications on this website - you can find them here
CLoCKing Off: Insights and Experiences from the Long Covid in Children Study
Click below to watch our seminar on the findings and impact of The CloCk study