The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has enrolled the first participant in it's large-scale study centered on COVID-19's effect on children.
For the study, researchers from NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, will follow up to 1,000 children and young adults with a previous COVID-19 infection and evaluate potential effects on their physical and mental health, according to a Nov. 15 news release.
Participants, ranging in age from birth to 21, will be followed for three years. The study will also explore long-term health effects, potential risk factors for complications and long-term immune responses to the disease.
"In adult patients, the long-term sequelae of COVID, including post-acute COVID-19, can significantly affect quality of life," said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the NIAID. "Our investigations into the pediatric population will deepen our understanding of the public health impact that the pandemic has had and will continue to have in the months and years to come."
The effort is part of the NIH's vast COVID-19 research program, Researchering COVID to Enhance Recovery Initiative, or RECOVER Initiative.
To learn more, click here.