Molly, a 16-year-old from Weymouth, wakes each day to fatigue, heart palpitations, and episodes that include fainting and seizures. Once she could walk through a school day, now basic activities require a wheelchair on many days, with “two good days a week, maybe three.” With local NHS long Covid support for young people shuttered, Molly’s family plans a 300-mile journey to Liverpool for private treatment. Her story reflects a broader crisis: young patients navigating a blurred landscape of limited services and uncertain futures.
Long Covid, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, continues to disrupt lives worldwide even as acute infections wane. In Thailand, families face similar hurdles: scarce paediatric specialists, a lack of targeted therapies, and widespread misunderstanding about lingering symptoms. The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 1% of children and 6–7% of adults experience long Covid, with fatigue, cognitive difficulties, sleep problems, and post-exertional malaise among the most common complaints. Some cases resemble myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, sharing several features with long Covid.
The erosion of local care adds to the burden. Dorset’s paediatric long Covid clinic stopped accepting new cases in late 2023, directing youths to a generic chronic fatigue pathway instead. Families discovered that such pathways often fail to address the distinct complexities of long Covid, which can involve nervous system changes, immune responses, and multi-organ symptoms. As adult services face a planned closure by mid-2025, families like Molly’s are compelled to seek private specialists far from home. Similar access gaps exist in other countries, including Thailand, where private clinics in Bangkok draw families from rural areas at high personal and financial cost.
globally, researchers pursue therapies for long Covid with cautious optimism. Current care remains primarily symptomatic: rest, pacing to avoid overexertion, rehabilitation, counselling, and targeted symptom relief. A consensus statement from a multidisciplinary group in the United States emphasises tailored, patient-specific management because there is no universal cure yet. Experimental work offers hope: Australian researchers reported a drug compound that prevented long Covid symptoms in mice, a promising early step. In the United States, a repurposed FDA-approved drug has shown potential to improve lung recovery in animal models. Still, these developments have not produced widely accessible treatments for young patients.
Prevention remains paramount. Large-scale studies from early 2025 show a much lower risk of long Covid among vaccinated youths: unvaccinated adolescents are markedly more likely to develop persistent symptoms. In Thailand, this reinforces public health campaigns urging vaccination for young people, especially as new variants circulate. Vaccination reduces risk and supports safer reopening of schools and communities.
Healthcare professionals warn that without improved education, many young long Covid patients risk misdiagnosis or stigma. Molly says she wants doctors to be better educated about long Covid and to be treated without judgment. Cultural factors influence how pain and fatigue are perceived. In Thai communities, concepts of kreng jai—being deferential or avoiding trouble—can lead families and teachers to overlook children’s hidden suffering, amplifying the risk that symptoms remain unaddressed in homes and clinics.
The psychological impact echoes across borders: isolation, academic disruption, and withdrawal from hobbies. Support animals, family-centered care, and online communities help bridge gaps when multidisciplinary medical services are scarce, but they cannot fully replace comprehensive care. As the world moves toward an endemic phase of Covid-19, researchers emphasize sustained vaccination, rehabilitation services, multidisciplinary teams, and an ongoing search for targeted therapies. In Thailand, post-Covid clinics exist in major hospitals, and national guidelines are being developed to diagnose, manage, and refer long Covid patients, though pediatric provision remains uneven.
Looking ahead, equity and continuity in care are essential. The end of the emergency phase should not mean the disappearance of specialist services. The economic impact of long Covid remains a concern, with estimates suggesting lost productivity and rising healthcare needs could affect global economies. For Thai society—built on universal health care and family values—the challenge is to innovate, integrate, and ensure no child or teen is left unsupported as the world learns to live with Covid.
Practical guidance for Thai readers:
- Ensure children are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to reduce long Covid risk.
- If persistent symptoms emerge after infection—such as fatigue, cognitive difficulties, or unusual physical complaints lasting beyond four weeks—consult a primary care doctor and request a referral to a post-Covid or paediatric specialist clinic.
- Support your child’s physical and emotional well-being through gentle activity pacing, peer connection, and access to mental health resources when needed.
- Stay informed about the latest paediatric long Covid research and advocate for dedicated rehabilitation resources within local health systems.
- Listen to young people’s voices and validate their experiences instead of minimizing symptoms.
As the global community continues to adapt to living with Covid, compassionate care, community support, and informed public health strategies are our strongest tools. To every family navigating long Covid: you are not alone, and progress is being made.
In this story, the resilience of patients, families, and communities remains central.