Hes like a six-year-old in a 90-year-olds body, says Chris Ward of his son Thomas, who first fell ill last February with a fever, breathlessness and aches all over his body.

Thomas was assessed at A&E where the family was asked if theyd been to Italy they hadnt. They were sent home with instructions that it was a viral infection and Thomas, then five, needed to rest.

Flash forward almost a year and Thomas is still suffering tests have since revealed he has Covid-19 antibodies . Every two or three weeks, his temperature soars. His glands are constantly enlarged and his body aches most days. Ward recently caught him walking up the stairs like a crab because of the pain.

Thomas has been given the likely diagnosis of long Covid by paediatricians at the Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital. Hes the first child theyve seen with symptoms lasting so long and the first child theyve given this diagnosis to.

His case might seem unique, but it is thought Thomas is one of hundreds of children in the UK who are still not back to full health after having Covid.

Parents have told HuffPost UK they feel helpless at how much their childrens lives have been disrupted by common long-term symptoms such as fatigue, body aches and headaches among many other debilitating symptoms.