The Claim:
LeBron James’ son suffered cardiac arrest and was hospitalized. The usual suspects are connecting this medical event to vaccines, with the owner of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter connecting this event to myocarditis and to all we apparently do not know about vaccines.
The Facts:
Bronny James is in stable condition after suffering cardiac arrest during basketball practice.
While there is a risk of developing myocarditis from receiving COVID mRNA vaccines, the risk is relatively low. And most people who had it got better without any big problems. Anti-vaccine activists claim that vaccines have caused a jump in cardiovascular injuries, yet COVID infections are more likely to cause them. The relative risk for myocarditis is more than 7 times higher from COVID infection than
from vaccination. And while these activists like to point out that Bronny James sure got the vaccine, data from the CDC estimates that in his age cohort, over 90% have had at least one COVID infection.
Cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death among young adult athletes, with Black basketball players at higher risk than others. Sudden Cardiac Death and other events in athletes are rare but serious, even before COVID and the COVID vaccine.
As a side note, young athletes are encouraged to stay safe in the extreme heat sweeping the country.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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