Hello 

If you are new, welcome! If you have been with us for a while, thank you for your continued support. Since the Autumn we have been raising awareness amongst parents, caregivers, children & schools to provide evidence-based knowledge that supports informed decision-making.

What do we do?

• Raise awareness of government data on children, schools, and COVID which is not printed in newspapers. It's all referenced for convenience so you can check the source.
• Advocate for children and school communities.
• We bring together new & relevant information on the effect of COVID on children and provide information on how to reduce risk. We are all in this together.

Why do we do it?

We support over 2650 children who have not fully recovered since COVID infection. No one knows why some children get sicker than others, when or if they will fully recover. Has the virus triggered other diseases? These are the questions researchers, medics, and scientists around the globe cannot answer yet. Until we have the answers there will be Long Covid Kids. 

We are a team of four. Please help us! The best way to protect our children is to prevent them from getting COVID in the first place.

Warm wishes, Sammie, Fran, Nathalie and Hannah

How can you get involved this week?

• Share a social media post
• Share our fundraiser / donate (see below)
• Share your Long Covid Kids story
• Gift us your skills/time
• Raise awareness within your local, parenting, and school communities
• Read one article. This week we recommend The Lancet. See below.

With your support, our joint efforts make a difference. 

LCK Team 💚🧡💚

 Founder of LCK

Sammie

The Long Covid Kids team are proud to announce that our Founder has been invited to sit on the

National Institute of Health and Research (NIHR) Long Covid Committee.

We are immensely proud of Sammie and all that she achieves particularly because she is also suffering from the long-term effects of her COVID infection.

The NIHR has launched a UK-wide call to fund research that will help and support non-hospitalised children with Long Covid - ongoing symptoms following COVID infection. 

The experience of paediatric victims of COVID who were not hospitalised has been minimised and ignored.  

Like many chronic illnesses, research is desperately needed.

Sammie will be working behind the scenes to assist progress and will continue to  provide a voice for the children left with disabilling symptoms.

Thank you Sammie.

From Nathalie, Fran, Hannah,

Parents and children of LCK  💚🧡💚

Co-founder Francis

Psychology Lecturer, Speaks To

Chris Whitty (CMO)

Fran writes "I recently attended the Academy of Medical Sciences and Mental Health joint workshop on ‘Progress and priorities for mental health sciences research since COVID-19’

I have been really struck by the energy and enthusiasm of the research community in considering support for various groups. As one of those groups, Long Covid received attention, with representation from Francesca Lo Castro who has lived experience of this condition. She explained very clearly the impact of the physical symptoms on her mental health, and her appreciation of CBT; she also stressed the importance of not assuming Long Covid is psychological and the impact of being gaslighted by doctors.

Although children were not represented separately, I had the opportunity to ask Chris Whitty about his views on Long Covid in children. He stressed the many unknowns around this condition, including the difficulties of knowing where the line is drawn between physical and mental health impacts. He conceded that there may be neurophysiological causes, but also drew attention to the ongoing challenges in the CFS/ME communities, for example, concluding that research and progress will take time"

UPDATE ON WHO WE

WORK WITH 

 Long Covid Kids (LCK) is currently supporting projects with;

NIHR Long Covid Committee

NHS - National Health Service Long Covid Task Force  

NIHR - National Institute for Health Research Expert Group

WHO - The World Health Organisation Long Covid Forum

The APPG - Across Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)

ISARIC - International Severe Acute Respiratory & Emerging Infection Consortium 

APPG Fit and Healthy Child

Multiple Clinical Commissioning Groups

International Researchers 

International ZERO COVID Alliance

Long Covid advocacy groups around the world including

Wales, Ireland, Spain, Canada, USA, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Mexico

Fundraising CO2 monitors for schools with Safe Ed For All

A number of leading children’s hospitals around the UK, and infectious disease pediatrician's who have agreed to

assist with support and studies of members.

"There will be another wave this year"

Prime Minister Boris Johnson

20th April 2021

This disappointing statement came the day before The Daily Mail ran an article highlighting that guidance recommending mask-wearing in secondary schools will be reviewed next month.

Boris Johnson said “Schools are vectors of transmission” back in January. Since then new variants of concern have increased risk, and yet the Department of Education has failed to follow HSE policy to provide robust mitigation guidance for schools.

Read The Lancet article published 15th April 2021 to learn more.

Ten scientific reasons in support of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

If children don't have masks, what scientific measures do they have to protect them against an airborne virus?

The transmission of the virus through contaminated surfaces is

now thought to be "minimal"

SKY NEWS 15th APRIL

Our Education and Awareness Pack pulls together all of the up-to-the-minute evidence from around the world on how to keep children scientifically safe against an airborne virus.

We do the work so that you don't have to.

UK School Installs CO2 Monitors

in all Classrooms

At LCK we believe that schools should be open and stay open,

but not at the cost of long-term health.

Children need fresh air.

CO2 monitoring is a scientifically evaluated layer of protection.

Ensuring that our children are breathing fresh air by installing CO2 monitors is an EASY WIN!

The ventilation section of our Awareness Pack includes this recent research and year 2021 research on airborne transmission. It also includes scientific evidence to ensure indoor spaces are made safer.

Be knowledgable from a grassroots level

A NOTE ON VARIANTS

B117 UK variant is currently reported to be the the most dominant in the UK.

Percentage of variant increase in the past week

Source GOV.UK

UK variant (B117)     UP 4%

South African variant (B1351)     UP 13%

Brazillian variant (P1)     UP 50%

Indian variant (B1617)     UP 71.4% 

LCK runs on goodwill.

Donations of time, skills, fund all gratefully received.