Few children get long COVID. Former Times of Malta journalist CYNTHIA CLARK is the mother of one of them. She spoke to Fiona Galea Debono.

A mother has recounted how a ‘long COVID’ diagnosis for her daughter was welcome news after the five-year-old suffered months of headaches following the virus.

Cynthia Clark, a former Times of Malta journalist who now resides in the US, has been officially told by a neurologist that her child is a COVID-19 long hauler.

These patients suffer long-term symptoms for a significant period after the infection has passed. It all began last September when Raina Clark tested positive.

“Not one cough, no fever, and no loss of taste and smell. I had almost started to dare hope we had dodged a bullet, that theirs was a symptomless infection,” Clark said about her twins.

Cynthia Clark

But Raina soon told her mother that her head hurt – a common COVID-19 symptom, her paediatrician reassured her.

Although it was the one and only symptom, the headaches persisted even after she was over the infection, becoming more frequent and intense.

“She would often cover her head with a blanket. Car rides, even short ones, became difficult – she would moan and kick the seat in front of her,” Clark said.

The family lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia in an area that is car-dependent – and car rides made her headaches so much worse.

“We took her to the paediatrician two days after she was considered COVID-free and were told to wait two weeks,” Clark said.

And the journey into understanding the nature of Raina’s ailment started in earnest as the headaches got more frequent and her mother was advised to keep a diary of them.

“We even asked her kindergarten teachers to let us know whenever Raina complained her head hurt. For the next few weeks, we would receive multiple daily headache reports,” she said.

A paediatric neurologist told the family it was “very likely COVID”, but still ordered an MRI to “exclude structural changes in the brain”.

“It was obviously tough to think about that unlikely, but possible, diagnosis,” Clark said, appreciative of the fact that they live close to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the largest in the country, and able to get an immediate appointment.

The headaches persisted even after she was over the infection

The results read: “Unremarkable brain MRI”, which the paediatrician ensured was “exactly what you want to hear”, Clark said of her relief.

“In October, the World Health Organisation published a clinical case definition of long COVID. Because Raina’s symptoms happened during a COVID-19 infection and continued for more than two months, she fits this description,” the mother said.

“I would never have thought that a long COVID diagnosis would be a best-case scenario, but it was.”

That was six weeks ago. Raina’s headaches continued for a while but then started reducing in frequency and intensity. However, over three months after her infection, she is still getting them.

“Still, it could have been so much worse. More than 800,000 people in the US have died of COVID-19,” Clark pointed out.

To minimise the risk of another infection, the girls were vaccinated as soon as they were able to.

Raina and Ella Clark’s vaccination bracelets are under the Christmas tree because their mother believes there is no greater gift than that of a fully innoculated family.

“Their school hosted a clinic in the evening, allowing us to take them without them missing school or us missing work. Except for a sore arm, neither of them had any symptoms.

“I am so glad we started the vaccination process before the Omicron variant was identified, considering the increased transmission rate,” Clark said, adding that their vaccination bracelets are now under the tree because of all the gifts, “nothing will top a fully vaccinated family”.

This also meant being able to see friends and make new ones, she said as the vaccine rollout for young children starts here in Malta.

“Most kids who get COVID-19 do not have a rough time but when they do, it is hard to witness. We were fortunate that Raina’s one symptom is manageable and getting better.

“Are we totally safe? Absolutely not! Breakthrough cases are happening. We still wear a mask wherever we go and avoid gatherings.

“But we have given ourselves and our children a layer of protection, and I hope that if we do get exposed, the vaccines will protect us, at least from serious illness. There are no guarantees; all we can do is take steps to reduce our risk,” Clark said.