SHANNON LONGWORTH: IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE THERE’S BEEN A SUDDEN SLEW OF MYSTERIOUS DEATHS IN THE NEWS–PARTICULARLY AMONG YOUNG ATHLETES.

AND THE INTERNET’S PROVIDED SOME THEORIES.

LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE ATTRIBUTING THE PERCEIVED UPTICK IN UNEXPLAINED DEATHS TO THE MAJOR MEDICAL FACTOR OF THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF: THE COVID VACCINE.

SO, WHAT’S THE DEAL?

LET’S GET THIS STRAIGHT.

SUDDEN ADULT DEATH SYNDROME IS REAL. IT’S A MODIFIED NAME FOR SUDDEN *ARRHYTHMIC* DEATH SYNDROME, WHICH IS WHEN AN ABNORMAL HEART RHYTHM LEADS TO CARDIAC ARREST.

GENERALLY, AFTER THE PERSON’S PASSED, THERE’S NO CLEAR CAUSE.

DR. PAYAL KOHLI, A CARDIOLOGIST, SAYS, WITHOUT KNOWING THE CAUSE, THERE’S NO WAY TO CORRELATE THAT DEATH WITH…ANYTHING.

DR. PAYAL KOHLI: “WE’VE HAD THE CONDITION AROUND FOR DECADES, AND I THINK WE’RE PROBABLY JUST HAVING MORE OF WHAT’S CALLED AN ASCERTAINMENT BIAS–WHICH IS THAT WE’RE JUST GETTING MORE REPORTS OR MORE PEOPLE ACTUALLY TELLING US ABOUT IT, PICKING UP ON IT THAN WE DID BEFORE BECAUSE IT IS A CONDITION THAT’S BEEN AROUND FOR SOME TIME.”

LONGWORTH: WITHOUT NECESSARILY KNOWING THERE’S AN INCREASE IN CASES, KOHLI SAYS, EXPERTS CAN’T POINT TO A TRIGGER FOR THIS PERCEIVED RISE IN FREQUENCY.

ALSO, WHEN I SPECIFICALLY ASKED KOHLI ABOUT CONNECTIONS TO THE COVID VACCINES, SHE LOOKS TO THE VACCINE ADVERSE EVENT REPORTING SYSTEM–A DATABASE THAT TRACKS REACTIONS.

KOHLI: “THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO INCREASED INCIDENTS OF SUDDEN ARRHYTHMIC DEATH SYNDROME THAT’S OCCURRING OVER THE BACKGROUND RATE IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED THIS VACCINE. SO IT’S POSSIBLE THAT THOSE PEOPLE MAY HAVE HAD THE GENETIC PREDISPOSITION OR IT MAY HAVE HAPPENED ANYHOW AND THAT’S JUST CALLED AN ASSOCIATION–IT’S NOT A CAUSATION.”

LONGWORTH: NOW, THAT ASSOCIATION IS CLEAR IN THE DATABASE, WHICH SHOWS MORE THAN 13,000 DEATHS FOLLOWING VACCINATION–DUE TO A NUMBER OF CAUSES.

MORE THAN 60 OF WHICH HAD MYOCARDITIS–WHICH IS INFLAMMATION OF THE HEART MUSCLE.

AND HEART CONDITIONS CAN LEAD TO SADS.

THE CDC ABSOLUTELY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT “CASES OF MYOCARDITIS REPORTED TO THE VACCINE ADVERSE EVENT REPORTING SYSTEM HAVE OCCURRED AFTER MRNA VACCINATION–ESPECIALLY IN MALE ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS.”

AND, HERE’S THE THING. YOU CAN ALSO GET MYOCARDITIS FROM A COVID INFECTION ITSELF.

SO, WITH NEARLY 20 PERCENT OF SUDDEN DEATH CASES AMONG YOUNG ADULTS LINKED TO THE CONDITION–ACCORDING TO THE MYOCARDITIS FOUNDATION, THE QUESTION BECOMES:

DOES THE VACCINE OR THE INFECTION PUT YOU AT HIGHER RISK?

THE CDC SAYS YOUNG MEN BETWEEN 18 AND 29 ARE 7 TO 8 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE HEART COMPLICATIONS–INCLUDING MYOCARDITIS–AFTER A COVID INFECTION THAN THEY ARE AFTER BEING VACCINATED.

THAT’S BASED ON DATA FROM 40 HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS IN THE U.S.

SO, ON PAPER YOU’RE LESS LIKELY TO DEVELOP A HEART CONDITION WITH THE VACCINE THAN YOU ARE WITH THE INFECTION.

BUT, OF COURSE, REALITY ISN’T QUITE SO CUT AND DRY. YOU, THEORETICALLY, COULD HAVE HAD COVID AND THE VACCINE OR NEITHER OF THE TWO.