For 16-year-old Molly from Weymouth, every day presents a battle—one that began four years ago when she first developed long Covid. From severe fatigue and heart palpitations to fainting spells, seizures, and even allergic reactions, Molly describes her experience as “horrible”, with basic activities now requiring a wheelchair and “two good days a week, maybe three”. With dedicated NHS long Covid support for young people in Dorset shuttered, Molly is preparing to journey 300 miles to Liverpool for private treatment, illuminating a broader crisis faced by young long Covid patients and raising urgent questions about national and global responses to this lingering pandemic (BBC).
While the acute dangers of Covid-19 have faded for many, long Covid—known medically as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)—continues to upend lives across the globe. In Thailand, like in the UK, youth with persistent symptoms face ongoing obstacles: limited access to paediatric specialists, a lack of targeted treatments, and widespread social misunderstanding. The World Health Organization estimates that around 1% of children and roughly 6–7% of adults worldwide develop long Covid, with symptoms lasting weeks, months, or even years. Commonly reported complaints include chronic fatigue, memory and sleep difficulties, cognitive “brain fog”, and post-exertional malaise. For some, these symptoms overlap with other debilitating conditions, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), with which long Covid shares many features (Wikipedia).
For Molly and others, the loss of local long Covid clinics adds to the burden. In November 2023, the Dorset Post Covid Syndrome Service stopped accepting new paediatric cases, rerouting adolescents to a generic chronic fatigue pathway instead. As Molly’s family discovered, these services are not set up to address the complexities of long Covid—which may involve nervous system dysfunction, inappropriate immune responses, and multi-organ symptoms. When even adult services were announced to be closing by June 2025, Molly’s parents felt they had no choice but to seek out specialist private care far from home. Such stories are not unique to the UK. In Thailand, Bangkok-based hospitals and private integrative clinics attract families from rural and provincial areas desperate for specialist input, often at high personal and financial cost.
Globally, the search for effective long Covid therapies remains an active area of research. Existing treatment is generally symptomatic: focusing on rest, “pacing” to avoid overexertion, physiotherapy for rehabilitation, counselling, and symptom-targeting medications. A recent multidisciplinary guidance statement coordinated by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation emphasised a symptom-based, tailored approach, as no one-size-fits-all treatment—or “magic bullet”—has yet been established (PubMed). Meanwhile, experimental therapies are beginning to emerge. Australian researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) have discovered a novel drug compound that prevented long Covid symptoms in mice—an early but hopeful step (WEHI; SciTechDaily). In the United States, a repurposed FDA-approved medication was recently linked to enhanced lung recovery and reduced tissue damage in animal models (DW). However, these breakthroughs have not yet led to widely available options for young patients like Molly.
The importance of prevention cannot be overstated. Multiple large-scale studies published in early 2025 highlight a dramatically lower risk of long Covid among vaccinated children: unvaccinated adolescents were shown to be up to 20 times more likely to develop persistent symptoms compared to their vaccinated peers (Medical Xpress; HealthLeaders Media). This means that in the Thai context, encouraging Covid-19 vaccination among youth remains an absolutely essential public health priority—especially as newer, more infectious variants continue to circulate. These findings echo Thai public health campaigns (รณรงค์ฉีดวัคซีน) but underscore the need for renewed attention as concern over Covid fades from headlines.
Expert voices warn that, without better education for healthcare staff, many young long Covid sufferers risk being misunderstood or stigmatised. As Molly puts it, “I want doctors and hospitals to be actually educated on [long Covid], and for us not to be judged.” Social attitudes are slow to change—especially in cultures where energy and resilience are often prized and invisible disability still carries a stigma. In Thailand, where concepts like “kreng jai” (เกรงใจ, a tendency toward deference and not wanting to cause inconvenience) shape how young patients communicate their suffering, there is an added risk that the voices of children with debilitating fatigue or mental fog may go unheard in families, classrooms, and clinics.
Meanwhile, the psychological impacts of long Covid echo those seen in Thai teens with other chronic syndromes: isolation from peers, academic challenges, and a withdrawal from beloved hobbies or sports. In both Thailand and Europe, support animals, family-centred care, and online support groups have helped bridge gaps in service—but these can only partially compensate for the loss of multidisciplinary medical support.
Despite the heavy toll, there are reasons for cautious optimism. As countries move toward an endemic, rather than emergency, phase of pandemic management, more data is emerging about the mechanisms underlying long Covid, as well as best practices for management. International consensus is beginning to coalesce around several key strategies: comprehensive vaccination campaigns, dedicated rehabilitation services, multidisciplinary care teams, and research into targeted therapies. In Thailand, hospitals like Siriraj and Chulalongkorn have established post-Covid clinics, and the Thai Ministry of Public Health is developing guidelines for the diagnosis, management, and referral of long Covid patients—though, as in many countries, specific paediatric provision remains patchy.
Looking ahead, global experts stress the need for equity and continuity in long Covid care. The transition from pandemic to endemic status should not mean “disappearing” specialist services, even as the new normal is established. The economic impact is not negligible: some analysts estimate long Covid may be responsible for up to a 1% loss in global GDP, driven by lost productivity and burgeoning healthcare needs (Wikipedia). For Thai society, with its commitment to universal health care (30-baht scheme) and family-centred values, there is both a challenge and an opportunity: to innovate, integrate, and ensure that no child, teen, or family is left isolated by the fading memory of a pandemic that, for many, is far from over.
For Thai readers, here are practical recommendations:
- Ensure your children are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, as this dramatically reduces the risk of long Covid.
- If your child develops persistent symptoms after Covid-19, such as fatigue, mental fog, or unusual physical complaints lasting more than four weeks, seek medical advice from a primary care doctor and request referral to a post-Covid or paediatric specialist clinic.
- Support your child both physically and emotionally—encourage peer connection, gentle activity pacing, and seek mental health support where needed.
- Stay informed about new developments in long Covid research—especially regarding paediatric care—and advocate for dedicated rehabilitation resources in your local health system.
- Above all, listen to young people’s voices, validate their experience, and resist the temptation to minimise invisible symptoms.
As Thailand and the world continue to learn living with Covid, community support, ongoing research, and compassionate care will remain our strongest medicines—ขอเป็นกำลังใจให้ทุกครอบครัวที่เผชิญกับ Long Covid (sending strength to every family facing long Covid).
Sources: BBC, Wikipedia, Medical Xpress, WEHI, DW, PubMed, HealthLeaders Media