Published: April 1, 2022 (upd.)
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Some recent potential covid vaccine victims among athletes, celebrities, and politicians.
Overview
The updated global overview of athlete health issues currently includes about 930 post-vaccination cardiac arrests and other health issues and about 620 post-vaccination deaths. The differential diagnosis may include other health conditions (including “long covid”), doping or drug abuse.
Rafael Nadal: vaccine myocarditis or rib stress fracture?
In late March, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (35, ATP world number 3) showed a very poor performance during the Indian Wells final in the US. He was seen clutching his left chest in pain and then received a kind of chest massage by his medical coach while lying on the floor (see video). Afterwards, Nadal complained of “chest pain” and “breathing problems”: “it’s like I have a needle in it all the time () it makes me feel a little dizzy () it’s a kind of pain that limits me a lot.” Nadal added that it might be “something in the ribs, I don’t know yet.”
One day later, Nadal explained on Twitter: “I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain and I immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort. As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks.”
Nadal had received the covid vaccine by mid 2021 (“easy decision”) and he caught covid in December 2021 (“unpleasant moments”). It is not known if he received a booster dose. In general, a rib stress fracture might explain both chest pain and breathing problems, but absent medical confirmation, this might as well be a “cover story” to hide vaccine heart injury or even “long covid”.
Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters): drug overdose or vaccine-related death?
On March 25, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died of a “cardiovascular collapse” in his hotel room in Colombia at age 50. Initially, it was reported that the death was due to an acute drug overdose, but this was later retracted. Instead, it became known that Hawkins complained of “chest pains” and asked the hotel to call an ambulance. The autopsy later found a significantly enlarged heart. An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) may be due to chronic drug abuse or other conditions.
In this case, the deeper question is how safe covid vaccines are for people with pre-existing heart issues or with a history of medical or illegal drug use (vaccine trials didn’t answer this question). The vaccination status of Hawkins is not yet confirmed, but the Foo Fighters were known to require vaccination of fans attending their concerts.
Update: New evidence shows that Hawkins, although skeptical of covid vaccines, was vaccinated in the spring of 2021, was diagnosed with an enlarged heart in June 2021, and received a booster on 26 February 2022, just one month prior to his cardiac death. Thus, covid vaccination may indeed have played a contributing or even a key role in his death.
Other athletes
In late March, Australian world number one tennis player Ash Barty retired at age 25. Previously, she withdrew from two US tournaments due to “health concerns”.
In mid-March, world number two golfer and 2020 Olympic gold medalist, Nelly Korda (23), announced that she was diagnosed with blood clots and was recovering at her home in Florida.
In February, 17-year-old Danish golf prodigy Viggo Sorensen, winner of the Emirates Golf Federation Order of Merit, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and died.
In late March, Danish handball player Mikkel Hansen (34), one of the best handball players in the world, suffered phlebitis (vein inflammation) and pulmonary embolism, ending his season.
In February, French number one tennis player Gael Monfils (35, ATP #22) suffered an adverse reaction to his booster vaccination (“a small health glitch”) and had to withdraw from the Davis Cup.
French tennis player Jeremy Chardy (34, former top 30) had to suspend his season after a vaccine reaction in the summer of 2021. Chardy returned to practice in January but said he “regretted getting vaccinated”.
In mid-April, 27-year-old Italian professional swimmer, Mariasofia Paparo, suffered a cardiac arrest or a heart attack and died. The Italian “Super Green Pass” required proof of vaccination.
Former Manchester City and FC Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero (33) suffered a vaccine heart injury in 2021. In February 2022, he revealed that he had to end his career: “If I try to run, I lose breath. () I just feel like my heart doesn’t work properly.”
In late March, Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (33) was forced to withdraw from Slovakiaâs international team after being diagnosed with a heart condition.
Since late 2021, several German soccer players, including Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies (21), suffered heart inflammation and had to rest for several weeks or months. In some of these cases, it was reported that the heart issues were from covid (after vaccination), not from vaccination itself.
In March, Belgian cyclist Cedric Baekeland (28) died of a heart attack during a training camp in Mallorca; Scottish cyclist John Paul (also 28) also died of a heart attack; Italian top cyclist Sonny Colbrelli (31) suffered a cardiac arrest after crossing the finish line during the Volta a Catalunya cycling race. In February, Belgian cyclist Tim Declercq (32), called “the tractor”, suffered post-vaccination pericarditis. (Read more about vaccine injuries in cyclists.)
In Switzerland, marathon champion Fabienne Schlumpf (31) suffered myocarditis after her booster vaccination; Olympic sprinter Sarah Atcho (26) suffered pericarditis after her booster vaccination; and soccer player Michael Perrier suffered a cardiac arrest and had to end his career.
In mid-March, West Indies’ cricket player Shamilia Connell (29) collapsed during a World Cup game. Also in mid-March, European Rugby League administrator Tiziano Franchini (44) died from a suspected heart attack. Former wrestling world champion “Triple H” (52) was vaccinated in April 2021 and suffered heart failure in September, but it was reported that this was due to either a “genetic heart issue” or “viral pneumonia”; in March 2022, he announced his retirement.
In late March, a total of 15 tennis players had to retire from the Miami Open, including tournament favorites Paula Badosa and Jannik Skinner. Some of these players, including Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka, reported breathing or performance problems.
In mid-March, only 59 of 154 cyclists finished the Paris-Nice cycling race. While this had various causes, it was reported that “the state of health of the peloton is not good”.
Other celebrities and politicians
In early March, US model Hailey Bieber (25), wife of musician Justin Bieber, was hospitalized due to a mild stroke caused by a “very small blood clot” in her brain.
In January, Tuesday Cross (31), the girlfriend of Eagles of Death Metal band leader Jesse Hughes, suffered an “asthma attack” and a cardiac arrest and was put into a coma.
In mid-March, within the same week, Australian cricketer Shane Warne (52) and Australian Labour senator Kimberley Kitching (52) both died unexpectedly of heart attacks.
Also in March, German politician Kristian Tangermann (45) unexpectedly died at home due to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (a known vaccine complication). In Austria, a 38-year-old mayor died of sudden cardiac arrest during a meeting.
Back in November 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom may have had a transient neurological reaction to his booster vaccine, according to some independent analysts.
In Switzerland, a 58-year-old politician suffered a sudden cardiac death during a plenary session; a 62-year-old mayor suffered a sudden cardiac death while jogging; and another politician had to end his career due to a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine.
In mid-March, the director of Mayo Clinicâs Vaccine Research Group, Dr Greg Poland, announced that he suffered from tinnitus following covid vaccination (a typical covid vaccine adverse event likely affecting tens of thousands of people).
Figure: Athlete post-vaccination health issues and deaths
Video (18+): “Live on TV” vaccine adverse events (3 min.)
The video shows mostly cardiovascular events (cardiac arrest, stroke, syncope) and some neurological and allergic events. Many of these events were likely caused by covid vaccines. They all occurred in late 2021 or early 2022, with the exception of the last one (Tiffany Dover, Dec. 2020).
Video: Cardiac Arrests in Athletes (5 min.)
See also
- Covid Vaccines: Athlete Collapses
- Covid Vaccine Adverse Events (overview)
- Covid Vaccines: A Reality Check