We need to talk about long COVID in kids

As economies open up, we have to be doing everything we can to protect children from the coronavirus, particularly in schools—this is the urgent take-away from an article I worked on for a long while, which Fortune published yesterday, on the subject of long COVID in children.

Yes, children are less likely to catch COVID, and those who do tend not to have “long-hauler” symptoms. But many still do, with the range of symptoms being broader and less predictable than what adults typically experience. On top of the more familiar fatigue and chest pains, some children are suffering from seizures, visual impairment, brain inflammation or severe skin lesions, along with other bizarre symptoms, including Tourette syndrome.

We have very little idea of how widespread the problem really is, because long COVID can be a lot harder to spot in kids. In adults, a 20% “brain fog” reduction in concentration levels is noticeable, but less so in children—and that impairment, if it persists, could have serious educational consequences.

The most reassuring estimates suggest only 2% of kids who had symptomatic COVID still have long COVID symptoms after eight weeks; in absolute numbers, that is still a lot of children. Older kids seem more prone to long COVID—when it comes to pre-teens and teenagers who had COVID, a study has suggested one in seven still have symptoms a whole 15 weeks later. Some have had them for a year and a half now.

Everyone I spoke to for the piece said schools need to have appropriate protective measures, and there needs to be a stronger push to get children vaccinated. I’ll leave the last word to Dr David Strain, the British Medical Association’s lead on long COVID, who told me:

“The risk of voluntarily putting children through this, when we don’t fully understand it and the problems might not be manifest for years, is reckless to say the least. I fully appreciate the need to reopen the economy, but simple measures like wearing masks in school, like enhanced ventilation, they’re not going to hold the economy back or prevent us from getting on with our lives. They are the sorts of measures we should have in place to protect the future generation.”

The article is here, and you can also find out more at the website of Long COVID Kids, an advocacy and support group. News below.

David Meyer
@superglaze
david.meyer@fortune.com

TOP NEWS

Booster approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has green-lit boosters for those who got the Moderna or J&J jabs. Those people will get to use a different vaccine this time, which will make life easier for some. Fortune

Anti-climate lobbying

Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia are trying to get the United Nations to water down its recommendations for climate action at the forthcoming COP26 summit, according to a document leak reported on by the BBC. Switzerland and Australia are also pushing back against the idea that rich countries should help fund emissions reductions in poorer countries that are unable to afford the energy transition, because apparently we don’t all share the same planet. BBC

Netflix walkout

Some Netflix staffers and their supporters staged a walkout yesterday in protest of a recent Dave Chappelle special in which the comedian mocked transgender people. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos started out by defending the special, but later softened his stance. A group of Netflix workers has called on the streaming giant to invest more in transgender creators, diversify leadership, and add disclaimers to shows featuring transphobic or hateful content. Fortune

Russian lockdown

Moscow will close all non-essential stores from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7—no restaurants, no cinemas, no beauty salons, no museums. Workplaces will also shut across the country from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7. This is Russia's strictest lockdown since spring last year. The poorly-vaccinated country is on the ascent of its worst spike of the pandemic, in terms of both infections and deaths. The Delta Plus sub-variant, which may be a little more infectious than regular Delta, has also now shown up there. Meanwhile, the EU's approval of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine ain't coming anytime soon. Reuters

AROUND THE WATER COOLER

Black directors

There was a significant rise in the proportion of new Black directors at Fortune 500 companies last year, according to new research from executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles—the share jumped from 10% to 28%. Meanwhile, the share of new Latinx directors fell by 1% and the share of female directors was down 3%, leading Heidrick & Struggles to forecast gender equality for 2023 rather than next year. Fortune

Hypersonic missiles

China reportedly conducted hypersonic missile tests—specifically, nuclear-capable "fractional orbital bombardment" missiles—in July and August. The U.S. does not have this capability, and its intelligence services are apparently "stunned" and confused about how the missiles work. Financial Times

Bitcoin surge

Bitcoin is breaking records again, coming close to $67,000 yesterday. A month ago, the cryptocurrency was worth just $43,500. Momentum is certainly in its favor, but how long will the surge last this time? Fortune

Trump media

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is launching his own social-media app, called TRUTH Social, which will be produced by a parent company called Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which will go public via a SPAC merger. "I created TRUTH Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech," said Trump, who is banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, but who is also widely expected to try retaking the presidency in 2024. Fortune

This edition of CEO Daily was edited by David Meyer.