Overview

• About 14% of infants and toddlers under 2 and 15% of children aged 3–5 with prior COVID-19 meet criteria for long COVID.
• Infants and toddlers most often exhibit sleep disturbances, increased fussiness, poor appetite, nasal congestion, and persistent cough.
• Preschool-aged children frequently experience a dry cough alongside daytime fatigue or low energy.
• Affected children tend to have poorer overall health, reduced quality of life, and delays in developmental milestones.
• Findings from the NIH-funded RECOVER initiative underscore that screening and care strategies must be customized to each early childhood age group.