Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and Blake Lively celebrate Super Bowl win
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win the 58th Super Bowl trophy. Watch as fans celebrate, including Taylor Swift.
Claim: COVID-19 vaccine will ‘shut down’ the heart
A Jan. 22 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) shows Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce making a heart shape with his hands.
Above the image is written: “Pfizer shows which organs the vaccine blocks.”
The post’s caption reads, “He’s telling you loud and clear! Remember to protect your heart and say no to blood clot injections.”
The post received more than 2,500 likes in three weeks.
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Our rating: False
Experts say there is no evidence that coronavirus vaccines can “shut down” the heart. Although cases of developing myocarditis after vaccination are rare, public health agencies say the risk of contracting COVID-19 outweighs the known risks associated with the vaccine.
There is no evidence that coronavirus vaccines ‘shut down’ the heart
Kelsey appeared in a commercial that aired in the fall as part of a paid partnership with Pfizer, encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against the flu and coronavirus. The commercial sparked the ire of anti-vaccine voices, including sidelined New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, calling Kelce “Mr. Pfizer” and criticizing the vaccine’s effectiveness. I challenged the discussion.
More than 676 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says the vaccines are safe and effective and is intended to protect children 6 months and older from serious illness. Vaccination is recommended for everyone.
Rare cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, have been linked to vaccines, but experts said the post’s claims were false.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccines cause the heart to shut down or are associated with widespread heart failure,” Erin Faherty, a pediatric cardiologist at Yale Medicine, told USA TODAY. “However, we do know that COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk of heart failure.”
Faherty said studies have shown that vaccination is associated with a lower risk of certain cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and heart failure, in people infected with the coronavirus.
Faherty said there was a “very mild risk” of developing myocarditis or pericarditis after vaccination, but it was rare, most cases were mild, and patients responded well to medication and rest.
“Based on the data we have, the risk of contracting COVID-19 far outweighs the mild cardiac risks from vaccination,” she said.
fact check: Travis Kelce’s claim that he refused to kneel during the national anthem could soon be debunked.
Similarly, the CDC states on its website that most people who have been reported to have myocarditis after vaccination “responded well to medication and rest, and their symptoms resolved by the time they returned home from the hospital.” The agency is still studying the long-term effects of myocarditis after vaccination.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of cases of myocarditis reported after COVID-19 vaccination in the United States was approximately 40 per million vaccine recipients after the second dose, as of August 2021. Ta.
Several public health organizations have also said the benefits of coronavirus vaccines outweigh the risk of developing myocarditis after vaccination. A study published in 2022 found that the risk of heart complications, including myocarditis, was higher after a coronavirus infection than after the second dose of a vaccine.
The American Heart Association recommends that people with a history of heart disease also get vaccinated because “the risk from the virus is much greater than the risk from the vaccine.”
The photo of Kelce in the Instagram post was taken during the Chiefs’ playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on January 21st. Afterwards, he explained to the Bills fans in attendance, “He had to tell them his love,” Entertainment Tonight reported.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the post for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact also debunked this claim.
Our fact-checking sources:
- Erin Faherty, Feb. 13, email exchange with USA TODAY
- CDC, accessed February 8, COVID-19 Vaccine Safety
- CDC, accessed February 8, 5 things to know about the COVID-19 vaccine.
- CDC, April 8, 2022, SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Cardiac Complications After mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination
- World Health Organization, accessed February 8, Q&A on myocarditis and Covid-19 vaccines.
- American Heart Association, accessed February 8, COVID-19 Vaccination Questions
- American Heart Association, July 20, 2021 Study Finds Benefits of COVID-19 Vaccination Outweigh Risk of Rare Myocarditis
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