Children, Families Struggle with Repeated COVID-19 Infections
2022-03-22
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1Most children who get COVID-19 show few to no usual signs of sickness.
2Eight-year-old Brooklynn Chiles of Washington, D.C. is one such child.
3The young girl has tested positive for the virus three times.
4She is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. She has never shown serious signs of the disease.
5Today, doctors are trying to understand why she keeps getting infected.
6One time when she caught the virus, her father also got sick.
7He later died.
8Her mother, Danielle, is worried that Brooklyn could also get very sick the next time she catches the virus.
9Chiles said she wonders if her daughter is going to die, too.
10"Is this the moment where I lose everyone?" she asked.
11The COVID-19 pandemic started in late 2019. It is linked to more than 6 million deaths around the world.
12But its effects on children are not well known.
13Over 12 million children in the U.S. are estimated to have tested positive for the virus.
14However, the virus does not seem to be as dangerous for children as it is for older adults.
15Some people call what happens to children "bizarre."
16Some children suffer from what is known as "long COVID."
17Others get re-infected, like Brooklynn.
18Some even seem to get sick and then recover, only to have severe organ inflammation later on.
19At Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., Brooklynn and other children are subjects of a study.
20Doctors at the hospital are getting money from the National Institutes of Health to study the long-term effects of COVID-19 on children.
21The hospital has about 200 children up to age 21 in the study, which will go on for three years.
22They undergo many tests on their first visit to the hospital.
23Doctors take blood, listen to their heart and check their lungs.
24Roberta DeBiasi is the doctor leading the study.
25She said the researchers are trying to understand the problems children suffer after getting COVID, and how common they are.
26Another girl in the study is Alyssa Carpenter.
27She is three years old.
28She had COVID-19 two times and also has unusual symptoms, such as high fevers and foot pain.
29Sometimes she lies down and points to her chest and says she has pain there, too.
30Alyssa's parents, Tara and Tyson Carpenter, have two other daughters.
31They said the pandemic caused a lot of problems in their lives.
32But they are most worried about Alyssa whom they do not know how to help.
33Tara Carpenter called the situation "super frustrating."
34She said she has been looking for answers to her daughter's problems, but no one is able to provide them.
35Some days, the little girl is doing just fine. Other days, she has a fever or pain.
36But lately, the family says she is doing a little better.
37One doctor working on the study is Linda Herbert.
38She does a psychological test.
39She talks to the children about things like the quality of their sleep, the worries they have, how they get along with other children and whether they have trouble remembering things.
40She said there are many symptoms, adding that many children are worried about getting sick again.
41Herbert said psychological symptoms are just as common as physical symptoms, like pain.
42And it is not just the children who have a lot of worries.
43The parents, brothers and sisters of the children have stress and anxiety, too.
44Brooklynn's mother, Danielle, is working hard to keep her emotions from affecting her daughter.
45She is working to support her family now that her husband died.
46She also is dealing with her sadness and trying not to show her feelings to her daughter.
47She wanted to put Brooklynn in the study so more people would learn about the need for vaccines, especially among Black people.
48Her husband Rodney was not vaccinated.
49 He suffered from pre-existing conditions and died at the age of 42.
50Chiles said one of the last things her husband said before he died was "forgive me."
51She said it is true that many children are not getting sick if they catch the virus.
52However, "they are losing," she said.
53"They're losing parents, social lives...years."
54Chiles said: "Yes, kids are resilient, but they can't go on like this. No one is this resilient."
55I'm Dan Friedell.
1Most children who get COVID-19 show few to no usual signs of sickness. 2Eight-year-old Brooklynn Chiles of Washington, D.C. is one such child. The young girl has tested positive for the virus three times. She is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. She has never shown serious signs of the disease. 3Today, doctors are trying to understand why she keeps getting infected. 4One time when she caught the virus, her father also got sick. He later died. Her mother, Danielle, is worried that Brooklyn could also get very sick the next time she catches the virus. 5Chiles said she wonders if her daughter is going to die, too. "Is this the moment where I lose everyone?" she asked. 6The COVID-19 pandemic started in late 2019. It is linked to more than 6 million deaths around the world. But its effects on children are not well known. 7Over 12 million children in the U.S. are estimated to have tested positive for the virus. However, the virus does not seem to be as dangerous for children as it is for older adults. 8Some people call what happens to children "bizarre." Some children suffer from what is known as "long COVID." Others get re-infected, like Brooklynn. Some even seem to get sick and then recover, only to have severe organ inflammation later on. 9At Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., Brooklynn and other children are subjects of a study. Doctors at the hospital are getting money from the National Institutes of Health to study the long-term effects of COVID-19 on children. 10The hospital has about 200 children up to age 21 in the study, which will go on for three years. They undergo many tests on their first visit to the hospital. Doctors take blood, listen to their heart and check their lungs. 11Roberta DeBiasi is the doctor leading the study. She said the researchers are trying to understand the problems children suffer after getting COVID, and how common they are. 12Another girl in the study is Alyssa Carpenter. She is three years old. She had COVID-19 two times and also has unusual symptoms, such as high fevers and foot pain. Sometimes she lies down and points to her chest and says she has pain there, too. 13Alyssa's parents, Tara and Tyson Carpenter, have two other daughters. They said the pandemic caused a lot of problems in their lives. But they are most worried about Alyssa whom they do not know how to help. 14Tara Carpenter called the situation "super frustrating." She said she has been looking for answers to her daughter's problems, but no one is able to provide them. 15Some days, the little girl is doing just fine. Other days, she has a fever or pain. But lately, the family says she is doing a little better. 16One doctor working on the study is Linda Herbert. She does a psychological test. She talks to the children about things like the quality of their sleep, the worries they have, how they get along with other children and whether they have trouble remembering things. 17She said there are many symptoms, adding that many children are worried about getting sick again. 18Herbert said psychological symptoms are just as common as physical symptoms, like pain. And it is not just the children who have a lot of worries. The parents, brothers and sisters of the children have stress and anxiety, too. 19Brooklynn's mother, Danielle, is working hard to keep her emotions from affecting her daughter. She is working to support her family now that her husband died. She also is dealing with her sadness and trying not to show her feelings to her daughter. 20She wanted to put Brooklynn in the study so more people would learn about the need for vaccines, especially among Black people. Her husband Rodney was not vaccinated. He suffered from pre-existing conditions and died at the age of 42. 21Chiles said one of the last things her husband said before he died was "forgive me." 22She said it is true that many children are not getting sick if they catch the virus. However, "they are losing," she said. 23"They're losing parents, social lives...years." Chiles said: "Yes, kids are resilient, but they can't go on like this. No one is this resilient." 24I'm Dan Friedell. 25Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based a report by The Associated Press. 26Do you know any stories about children affected by COVID-19? Let us know. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 27Words in This Story 28test positive - v. show the presence of a germ, virus or condition through a medical test 29moment - n. a certain point in time 30bizarre- adj. very unusual or strange 31inflammation - n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen, and painful 32symptom - n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present 33fever - n. a body temperature that is higher than normal 34frustrate - v. to cause someone to feel angry or upset because they cannot do what they want to do 35stress - n. a state of mental tension involving worry 36anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen 37resilient - n. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens