Cardiac arrest in athletes did not rise during Covid pandemic: study
A six-year study found no increase in cardiac arrests or cardiac deaths among athletes during the Covid pandemic, contradicting anti-vaccine misinformation that has circulated.
Among the barrage of misinformation that circulated during the pandemic was a baseless idea that young athletes who had recently been vaccinated were dropping dead from heart issues as a result. The claim has been repeatedly debunked as details about individual cases were revealed, and scientific research has found no link between Covid vaccines and cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart suddenly stops.
A six-year study published Monday puts any lingering skepticism to rest.
The study, in the journal JAMA Network Open, compared episodes of sudden cardiac arrest and cardiac deaths among young, competitive athletes before the pandemic — from 2017 to 2019 — with those from 2020 to 2022. The numbers were relatively similar, the results showed: 203 cardiac arrests or deaths occurred before the pandemic, followed by 184 during.
The dataset included athletes ages 10 to 34, identified through a surveillance program led by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research.
The study’s author, Dr. Jonathan Drezner, said the findings invalidate erroneous claims made on social media during the pandemic.
Rating: 5