There are calls for children under the age of 12 to be given Covid-19 vaccinations, from an immunology expert.
A UK study published in The Lancet medical journal looked at the effects of the virus on children aged 5 to 17.
The research found that the majority of children had mild symptoms, but almost 2 percent felt the effects for more than 8 weeks.
Covid jabs for children aged 12 to 15 have been approved by NIAC - with registration for this age group expected to open within 2 weeks.
Kingston Mills, Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, says although long-term effects are rare, young children should still get a vaccine.
"We know that children don't get as severe a disease as adults.
"A very larger study just completed in the UK looked at covid in that age group, between 12 and 15, and found that around 4% had symptoms that persisted for more than four weeks, and 2% of them had symptoms consistent with long covid."
