COVID Institute expands pediatric Long COVID care in Plano

By AI, Created 2:36 PM UTC, May 27, 2026, /AGP/ – The COVID Institute in Plano is now offering Long COVID evaluation for patients under 18, filling a gap in pediatric specialty care as fewer than 20 U.S. clinics provide dedicated services. The program adapts the clinic’s mechanism-based framework for children ages 12 to 18 by telemedicine in licensed states or in person.

Why it matters: - Fewer than 20 U.S. clinics offer specialized pediatric Long COVID care, leaving many families without a nearby specialist. - Pediatric Long COVID can look different from adult cases, which makes diagnosis and treatment harder. - The expansion gives families in licensed states another option for evaluation and care.

What happened: - The COVID Institute in Plano, Texas, is now offering pediatric Long COVID evaluation for patients under 18. - New pediatric appointments are available for children ages 12 to 18 by telemedicine in licensed states and in person in Plano. - The clinic is expanding its mechanism-based diagnostic framework to include pediatric patients.

The details: - Children often describe symptoms only as “not feeling good,” which makes caregiver observations central to the workup. - No validated diagnostic biomarker exists for Long COVID in children. - Many young patients cannot swallow standard capsules, so medication and supplement plans need age-appropriate formulations. - Compliance with medications, supplements and vagus nerve stimulation requires pediatric-specific planning. - Federal researchers have acknowledged that barrier in the NIH RECOVER-TLC pediatric low-dose naltrexone trial, which planned a pediatric-friendly study product for participants ages 6 to 25. - The condition overlaps with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, where up to 25% of MIS-C cases develop long-term symptoms similar to Long COVID. - Long COVID also overlaps with PANS and PANDAS, post-infectious neuropsychiatric syndromes covered in an American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report in March 2025. - A 2025 Lancet Infectious Diseases cohort study of nearly half a million children found that a second SARS-CoV-2 infection more than doubles Long COVID risk and approximately triples myocarditis risk. - The pediatric program uses the same six-mechanism framework the clinic applies to adults. - The clinic adapts formulation, dosing and pacing for age. - Stellate ganglion block and epipharyngeal abrasive therapy are considered case by case when age and tolerance allow, and are not flagship pediatric offerings.

Between the lines: - The move reflects a wider care gap for children with post-viral illness, especially outside major academic centers. - The clinic is positioning mechanism-based evaluation as a way to turn caregiver observations into a treatment plan a child can realistically follow. - The emphasis on age-appropriate delivery suggests practical barriers may matter as much as the underlying diagnosis.

What’s next: - The COVID Institute will likely continue building pediatric care around its existing adult framework. - Families seeking evaluation can now use telemedicine in licensed states or in-person visits in Plano for eligible children.

The bottom line: - Pediatric Long COVID care remains scarce, and the COVID Institute is trying to fill part of that gap with a pediatric version of its existing diagnostic model.