The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating the case of a 13-year-old Saginaw County boy who died in his sleep three days after getting his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in mid-June.
The news of a death of a 13-year-old Jacob Clynick broke on June 20, when the boy’s aunt Tami Burages posted on Twitter:
A week ago today my brother’s 13-year-old son had his 2nd covid shot. Less than 3 days later he died.
The initial autopsy results (done Friday) were that his heart was enlarged and there was some fluid surrounding it. He had no known health problems. Was on no medications.
Burages said she was pro-vaccine but couldn’t stay silent any longer after her 13 year-old nephew died from heart inflammation so short after his second jab, and added:
The @CDCgov needs to investigate this. There have been other cases of myocarditis in young men receiving their 2nd @pfizer shot. Have others died from it in the United States or is my nephew the first?
I think parents should be warned of the risk.
The tweets seem to be deleted now, but the World Wide Web still has them.
Jacob Clynick, a healthy boy with no underlying conditions, received his second shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at Walgreens in Zilwaukee on June 13, according to Burages.
She told The Detroit Free Press that the only side effects Jacob had experienced from the vaccine were fatigue and fever, which are considered “normal.”
Jacob complained of a mild stomachache on June 15 and went to bed, where he died in his sleep, Burages said.
The Free Press reported on July 2 that the county health department confirmed the investigation of Jacob’s death, saying that the medical examiner’s office conducted an autopsy, and that the death was reported to the state health department as well as the CDC.
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“The investigation as to whether there is a correlation between his death and vaccination is now at the federal level with CDC,” said a joint statement issued by Saginaw County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Delicia Pruitt and Health Officer Christina Harrington, according to the Free Press. It is also added: “Meanwhile, the health department continues to encourage families to speak with their physicians to weigh their own risks and benefits of vaccination.”
The Mercury News also reports that Dr. Russell Bush, the medical examiner for Saginaw County, said that they are currently examining a toxicology, tissue reports, and blood work. Bush said it’s going to be a “fairly long time” before that work is done, and tests results come back.
The CDC did not acknowledge the investigation, but its spokesperson told the Free Press that “all serious adverse events are reviewed by CDC and FDA medical officers.” If the report is considered “serious,” i.e., concerns death, life threatening illness, hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization, etc., then “the CDC follows up to get medical records: hospital records, clinic records, death certificates, and autopsy reports to better understand the adverse event,” the CDC spokesperson said.
After the CDC reviews the records and confirms the certified cause of death, it “then does further analysis to see if there’s anything unusual or unexpected happening.”
All in all, while a meticulous analysis of any adverse reaction to the vaccine is needed in every case, it sounds like the examination of such cases may take a much longer time than it took to develop the COVID-19 vaccines.
Last month, the CDC held an emergency meeting about cases of heart inflammation conditions developing in younger recipients. At the time, the federal agency reported 1,200 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis developing in young people after receiving the vaccine, most of these cases developing after the second dose. The CDC presentation slides revealed that chances of young male vaccine recipients (aged 12-29) developing a heart inflammation is 21 times higher than in their unvaccinated peers. The girls are not spared of the risk, either, and they are 5.5 time more likely to get heart problems after receiving a shot. It was argued during the meeting by one of the public speakers that the actual numbers may be 3 to 14 times higher than what’s been made public to date since the CDC is withholding VAERS data and delaying publishing adverse event reports.
The CDC, however, acknowledged that there is a “likely association” between the mRNA vaccines and heart inflammation. But despite the evidence presented, the CDC and top health officials are continuing to urge parents to get their young people vaccinated.
“Should I Still Get Myself or My Child Vaccinated?” the agency poses in a Q&A last updated June 23.
“Yes. CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years of age and older, given the risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death,” the agency answered.
Moreover, if a patient develops a heart inflammation after receiving a first dose of mRNA vaccine, the CDC recommends to wait till the condition resolves, and then proceed to getting a second dose.
Following the CDC meeting, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a warning to patient and provider fact sheets for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to indicate a “rare risk” of heart inflammation.
