The RECOVER pediatric study will enter its next phase in early 2027.* Over the next two years, researchers will continue following children, teenagers, and young adults to learn more about Long COVID as they grow.

In the first phase of the pediatric study, more than 15,000 participants and their caregivers helped RECOVER learn how different Long COVID can look across all ages. Together, they completed more than 23,000 surveys, attended over 8,400 office visits, and took part in nearly 94,000 tests. Every survey, visit, and test has contributed to one of the largest studies of Long COVID in children, teens, and young adults.

Now, researchers have a unique opportunity to study Long COVID and young people’s health over time—something they haven’t been able to do before.

In the next phase of the pediatric study, researchers will aim to better understand how Long COVID can affect the body, including the brain and other organs, how long its effects may last, whether symptoms get better or worse, and how Long COVID may change as children get older. They will also follow children from the pregnancy study to see if being exposed to COVID-19 before birth affects their health and development. These discoveries allow us to answer new research questions to improve care for young people and families.

We are deeply grateful to every family in RECOVER who has made this possible. Your continued participation is advancing Long COVID research and shaping the future of this work.

We also thank participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) and the Long-Term Outcomes after the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MUSIC) studies. Your valuable contributions to RECOVER in the first phase will continue to support this effort for years to come.

We will continue sharing what participants are helping researchers find. If you’d like to learn about findings from the first phase of the pediatric study and stay up to date with the next phase, explore RECOVER publications.

*The RECOVER adult study entered its second phase in May 2026.