Outrage over study finding COVID-19 vaccines aren’t linked to sudden cardiac deaths

A new CDC study investigates the risk of sudden cardiac deaths in teens and young adults who received COVID-19 vaccines. The study found no link between the vaccines and sudden cardiac deaths. Vaccine opponents responded to scientific data that contradicts the false claims they have circulated for the last two years with increased conversation online. Many posts take issue with the CDC as a source and continue to falsely argue that cardiac deaths with clear non-vaccine-related causes must be vaccine-related. 

Recommendation: Posts falsely linking cardiac deaths to COVID-19 vaccines and conversations casting doubt on CDC research undermine the public’s perception of the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and may promote distrust in guidance from government and public health officials. Trending conversations on this topic provide an opportunity to circulate existing content around heart health, myocarditis, and COVID-19 vaccines. No studies, including global safety analyses of millions of vaccine recipients, have found any link between sudden cardiac death and COVID-19 vaccines. Messaging may emphasize that across all age groups, the risk of heart complications after COVID-19 infection is far greater than after COVID-19 vaccination. Ensuring that informational materials use prebunking messaging to explain how COVID-19 vaccines help to protect against severe illness, death, and long COVID—as well as COVID-19-related heart problems—is recommended.