Infection
Michigan Teen Who Died 3 Days After Covid Vaccination Actually Killed By Bacterial Infection, CDC Reportedly Finds
Aug
Topline
A 13-year-old who died days after receiving his second dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in 2021 was actually most likely killed by a systemic bacterial infection, according to a federal report obtained by the Detroit Free Press, after his death drew the attention of vaccine advocates and naysayers alike in the early months of Covid vaccination.
Key Facts
Jacob Clynick died in his sleep after complaining about flu-like symptoms three days after he received his second Covid vaccine shot, and preliminary autopsy reports revealed he had myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that researchers say is a rare side-effect in young people who get Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA-based vaccines.
But a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigation obtained by the Detroit Free Press shows Clynick’s death was caused by a “rapidly progressive and often fatal” Clostridium septicum infection, which was found in the boy’s spleen, kidneys, liver, heart and lungs.
The CDC report argued the Clostridium septicum infection—which is often fast-moving—started in Clynick’s abdomen and spread throughout his body, leading to sepsis.
Joseph Clynick, Jacob’s father, told the Free Press he still thinks his son’s death “had to have something to do with the vaccine. It doesn’t make any sense that it wouldn’t.”
The father isn’t alone in his skepticism: Emails obtained by the Free Press show that Randy Tashjian, then-deputy chief medical examiner for the Michigan Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine, argued in emails with the CDC and in a medical journal article he co-authored that he still believes myocarditis was Clynick’s cause of death, but whether or not the Covid vaccine contributed “is unknown at this time.”
Tashjian, who conducted the boy’s autopsy and listed “myocarditis of unknown etiology” as the cause on his death certificate, published a paper three days before signing the autopsy that hypothesized a potential link to the Covid vaccine and the deaths of two teenagers, including Clynick, who died within days of their second doses.
Tashjian told the CDC he did not attribute Clynick’s death to Clostridium septicum sepsis because he could not find an obvious source of the infection, the Free Press reported.
Crucial Quote
“I haven’t heard anything,” Joseph Clynick said of the multiple investigations and internal CDC tension over his son’s death. “They have never given me any information ever. … It’s a nightmare.”
Key Background
Clynick’s death spurred anti-vaccine claims, and his own family was quick to speak out about their fears. His grandfather, Don Clynick, told a local ABC affiliate more than six months later that he remained convinced the vaccine is what triggered his grandson’s death. His aunt, Tammy Burages, said she hoped his death would be able to help determine if it was safe to vaccinate children against Covid. Studies have found the coronavirus vaccines are safe for children and side-effects are infrequent, but Clynick’s death was still widely shared on social media by people who accused the government of using “children as experimental subjects” and shared his photo alongside hashtags like #FauciLiedMillionsDied. The CDC reports a “causal association” between cases of myocarditis and mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, like the ones made by Moderna and Pfizer, but the causation is “extremely rare.” Myocarditis is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death in young people, but the connection is uncommon, researchers found—only 6% of the 14,294 sudden cardiac deaths studied listed myocarditis as a cause of death.
Big Number
37. That’s how many cases of myocarditis were found among more than 81 million Covid vaccine booster doses, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Fewer than 1,650 cases of myocarditis were found among more than 354 million primary doses.
Tangent
In the time since Clynick’s death, many other deaths have been held up—with no evidence—by anti-vaccine figures as proof of vaccine-related dangers. Last month, when LeBron James’s son collapsed in a college basketball practice after suffering cardiac arrest, many blamed the incident on Bronny James’s vaccine status—a dubious and unproven theory. Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted “We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect.” Google searches for “Damar Hamlin COVID vaccine” skyrocketed after the Buffalo Bills player collapsed on the football field following a hit to the chest, an incident that has not been linked to vaccination, as did searches for the vaccine in connection to Bob Saget, Betty White and guitarist Jeff Beck.
Further Reading
Michigan teen’s death fueled anti-vaccine rhetoric. We got CDC’s investigative report. (Detroit Free Press)
It’s Rare, But It Happens: What Bronny James’ Health Teaches Us About Cardiac Arrest In Young Athletes (Forbes)
MSNBC Host Vossoughian Suffers Myocarditis After Common Cold, Yet Covid-19 Vaccine Claims Spread (Forbes)
New Covid-19 Vaccine, Myocarditis Claims From Questionable Abstract In American Heart Association Journal (Forbes)
