The symptoms are usually less pronounced in children than in adults. COVID-19 in children is usually mild or without symptoms. If symptoms do occur they often consist of a cough, fever and/or a runny nose. In such cases the illness is similar to a cold.

However, it can happen that children and young people develop long COVID, experiencing longer-lasting symptoms such as exhaustion, concentration difficulties or muscle pain.

In very rare cases, children can develop a condition known as PIMS (Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome) or MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) a few weeks after recovering from COVID-19.

There is an increased risk of more severe illness in infants and in children who already have lung disorders and/or cardiovascular illness. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) provides a list of relevant pre-existing conditions (the list is to be found below the question “Welchen Kindern und Jugendlichen wird die COVID-19-Schutzimpfung besonders empfohlen?”)

Further information about the expression of the illness in children is available at the Federal Health Ministry’s website infektionsschutz.de and from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides extensive information about COVID-19 in children and young people in various languages.

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