Thread by @DavidSteadson

From a recent report by Sweden's Children's Ombudsman -

"When we sought children with long-term symptoms of covid-19 to interview, the response was much stronger than we had expected"

In this thread, I will give these children voice.

#LongCovidKids

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"Right now school is ok, if I compare with before. I have to take a break, so I'm very tired during the day so I have to sleep at least once a day, even at school. I will be tired and dizzy, but I have found a place ... where I can rest at school." Boy 13 years

#LongCovidKids

"It was hard to be away from school so much, and it's really hard when it hurts so much. But I manage, I do well in almost all subjects." Boy 11 years

#longcovidkids

"It's two out of four in the family, and those two can't do what they used to do, so I have to take it up. It's hard, but it's worse to be sick. I miss how it was before"

Boy 14 years, two family members sick with #longcovid

"They say that children are not affected, but then I'm a child and I've really been affected. Hello! Why do they never say anything about it in their meetings? It feels so warped, really warped" Child, 14 years

#longcovidkids

"I'm used to having my mother, and then when I realized it could be this really long, after two months I thought - I really panic - will she be like this always? It's a new disease, it's scary not to even know IF she's getting well"

Girl 13 years, mother has #LongCovid

"I can get very angry at myself if I go out and meet friends and then I'm completely exhausted and I can't do anything." Girl 11 years

#longcovidkids

"Smell still dead. It's been nine months since I got sick. It's very sad when you come in to eat and think it'll be good but then, so very strange after chewing for a while, it feels like it's just mush in the mouth. Nothing more, no taste, nothing" Boy 13 years

#longcovidkids

"They can't just say that “yes he is healthy, he is healthy and doesn't have to come back” when it isn't good. That's probably what I first heard at the health center." Boy 13 years

#longcovidkids

"It's like they don't really believe me, the teachers. I push myself the most when I'm in school, but sometimes I kind of want to break down in front of the teachers so that they understand how it is." Girl 16 years

#longcovidkids

"I'm the one who's been lucky, I'm the one who's healthy, this shitty year is over soon... it's so sick that a person is so completely changed, she's just sleeping. I just want my sister back. It's no consolation that I didn't get sick..."

Girl 16 yrs, sister with #LongCovidKids

"the first or maybe the second time I was there I was so tired, I'm tired and I sleep a lot, but it was ok. I got to sleep and they understood that I was really tired, I could sleep even during the examination."

Boy 13 years old on visiting a long covid clinic (now closed)

"I don't talk much to others about corona, I just say I'm sick. I don't want them to think that it's contagious and stuff, I'd rather talk about other things"

Boy 11 years old #longcovidkids

"I didn't know what it would be like, I was afraid of getting sick again. I got really bad once in training, so I couldn't breathe kind of and didn't want to be like that in front of everyone again. But I love sport and matches, I LOVE it so I really wanted to go back." Girl

"I often feel guilty because I'm so tired of everything being about the sick in our family. Well, it's not the hardest thing for me of course, it feels kind of pathetic to even think it's hard. But it is hard, so much has changed in the family."
Boy, two relatives with longcovid

"It doesn't feel like any teacher cares, it's not like she's being given specially adapted tasks, they expect her to cope even though she can't. I get to take stuff home for her, I get the task of taking stuff home, should I teach my sibling?" Girl 15, sister with #longcovidkids

"mum can't cook or pick up my little sister and help with homework anymore, now dad does everything, and there's just no time left. It's limited, it feels like everything is limited really ... nobody knows if it's going to end." Girl, 15yrs. Mother with #longcovid

"You often think that terrible things happen but not to you, but now I think I have a bigger perspective on life. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. Maybe I took things for granted, I don't take things for granted anymore. ....

... "But also, I'm really angry that this has happened to my family" Same girl 15 years old, as previous tweet, mother with #longcovid

"My grandmother is in such a risk group, and some others in the family too, I'm kind of anxious, really anxious that I'm going to kill them because there's so many infections at school." Boy, grade 9

"My brother is in a real risk group, and I can't be the one to bring the infection home, so I've been home schooling. Nobody thinks it's perfect, not me anyway, not my mother and definitely not the school, but I can't be the one to infect my brother, no thanks" Boy 12 years old

"My dad had intensive care, but he made it. I'm grateful my dad is alive, but he's still very weak. Two of my uncles died. It was horrible not to be able to be at the funeral, not to be able to say goodbye." Year 9 pupil