A Jan. 4 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) claims that 1,101 athletes died of sudden cardiac arrest between 1966 and 2004 and that 1,598 athletes died of sudden cardiac arrest between 2021 and 2022.
"In one year we have surpassed the number of athletes losing their lives compared to 38 years," reads the caption of the post. "People still aren’t questioning it. People are still defending the (vaccine)."
The post generated over 3,000 likes in less than a week.
The post compares a figure from a peer-reviewed research study to a figure from an article on an unverified website. Numerous medical experts told USA TODAY the comparison is not valid since the 2021-22 number is not the result of any scientifically sound research, with one expert describing the article's list as a "mishmash of anybody they decide is a part of it." The list includes people who died of cancer and weren't athletes.
The post is essentially comparing apples to oranges, Dr. Rachel Lampert, a sports cardiologist at Yale University, told USA TODAY in an email.
The "1,101" figure in the post stems from a 2006 peer-reviewed research study that examined the incidence of sudden cardiac death – an abrupt loss of life due to an abnormality in the heart – in athletes through previously published medical literature.
The study said researchers found sudden...
WASHINGTON, D.C., DC, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Brown, LLC, a nationally recognized whistleblower law firm and leader in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation, today announced t...