EU: “Pediatric treatment against Long Covid needed for children and adolescents”

Brussels – Pandemic and post-pandemic recovery, that is, when COVID is still very, very much present. So much so that within the European Union, “there is a need for pediatric Long COVID care for children and adolescents,” acknowledges Oliver Varhely, commissioner for Health, in his response to the parliamentary question by Lynn Boylan (the Left). A statement once again ignites an issue that the European Commission began working on as early as the last parliamentary term, with the launch of a dedicated program to study the secondary effects of the health crisis in the European Union and beyond.

The current community executive does not intend to backtrack from the previous college. Although health and health care remain exclusive national competencies, the need for pediatric care of Long COVID for minors is an issue to which the von der Leyen team is committed to “ensure that it will be properly considered and discussed” in all the venues and fora dedicated to Coronavirus care, Varhely reassures. “The Commission recognizes the significant medical and socio-economic consequences of Long COVID and remains committed to supporting effective responses in these areas.”

The health commissioner hints that the underlying problem is that little is still known or, at any rate, the full and clear picture of the situation is not yet available, so much so that the European Commission “promotes relevant research on Long COVID,” a sign that useful information is still being sought to promote “appropriate public health policies.” 

The Commission, Varhely goes on, intends to promote guidelines so that at the EU level, there is a single approach to dealing with a phenomenon about which little is known. Not surprisingly, it continues to encourage the exchange of information between member states, the collection of patient testimonies and the dissemination of medical and scientific research results.