A recent study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been misrepresented by reporters, while the authors failed to acknowledge earlier findings. The study, which analyzed death certificates from Oregon for individuals aged 16 to 30 who died between June 2021 and December 2022, did not disprove a link between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden deaths among young people.
The study found that among people who died with evidence of vaccination, three died within 100 days of receiving the vaccine, but none of these deaths could be attributed to mRNA vaccination. Two deaths were attributed to underlying conditions, while the cause of death for the third was undetermined.
However, the authors of the study failed to mention a larger peer-reviewed study from South Korea that confirmed vaccine-induced myocarditis caused eight sudden cardiac deaths among individuals younger than 45. The media outlets that reported on the new study also included false or misleading claims.
Multiple studies have supported a link between deaths among young people and COVID-19 vaccination, including a study from Qatar that identified a high probability of sudden cardiac deaths caused by vaccination. Authorities in the United States acknowledge that COVID-19 vaccines can cause myocarditis but maintain that no deaths have been caused by vaccine-induced myocarditis.
The authors of the study defended their choice to submit it to the CDC's journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), stating that MMWR is often used for time-sensitive reporting to inform public health practitioners and clinicians. However, previous releases of documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have shown that CDC officials engage in multiple rounds of editing papers published in MMWR. The CDC journal's editor-in-chief did not respond to queries regarding the editing process.
