(Newsweek) Some conservatives on social media floated the idea that former American Idol contestant CJ Harris died because of the COVID vaccine, even though the cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
The singer died at the age of 31 on Sunday in Jasper, Alabama, the Deadline reported. The county’s coroner, Joey Vick, said that Harris arrived at the Walker Baptist Medical Center suffering from health distress. He died shortly after CPR was performed on him.
Harris’ family members told TMZ that he died of a heart attack. Meanwhile, an autopsy has been done, but more tests are needed to identify the cause of the singer’s death, AL reported.
The former singing contestant attended an American Idol audition for the first time in 2010, and he also auditioned for The X-Factor and The Voice. In 2014, he auditioned again for American Idol in Salt Lake City when he was working at a restaurant and had a footing in indie music, according to the Deadline.
Above, contestant C.J. Harris performs at American Idol Live! at The Greek Theatre on August 14, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. Some conservatives on social media floated the idea that Harris died because of the COVID vaccine, even though the cause of death is yet to be confirmed. PHOTO BY CHELSEA LAUREN/WIREIMAGE
Though the cause of Harris’ death is to be determined, a few conservatives on Twitter suggested that the death is related to the COVID vaccine. Harris’ vaccination status is unclear and it is also unknown whether or not he has been previously infected with the virus.
All these young people dying of heart problems and we got grown ass adults acting like it isn’t the vaccine. The weirdos think the climate is doing this. RIP brother, society failed you. #cjharris” Prince Carlton, author of Black Masculinity: The 40 Lessons, tweeted on Monday.
All these young people dying of heart problems and we got grown ass adults acting like it isn’t the vaccine. The weirdos think the climate is doing this. RIP brother, society failed you. #cjharris pic.twitter.com/M8spvlRXy2
— Prince Carlton 🇺🇸 (@_PrinceCarlton_) January 16, 2023
Meanwhile, Carmine Sabia, a conservative pundit, wrote “Stop pretending that this is a coincidence. American Idol contestant CJ Harris dies at age 31.”
New safety concerns about Pfizer and Bio-N-Tech’s COVID-19 vaccine were recently reported, but health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated on Friday that the shots are still safe, WMUR9 reported.
The CDC identified a possible connection between Pfizer’s bivalent booster shots and ischemic strokes in people who are 65 years and older. However, health officials said that an investigation revealed that it is “very unlikely” that the shots pose any clinical risks of such strokes.
“We have to remember that the risk of COVID still far outweighs any potential concerns of vaccines, especially when you’re over the age of 65,” said Dr. John Brownstein, the chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, according to WMUR9. “The risk of severe consequences of COVID and death are still greater. When if you have not had that updated booster and the data is very clear, showing the value of that updated booster.”
The FDA authorized bivalent vaccine boosters to protect against the COVID-19 variant Omicron. The agency authorized formulations of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for use as a single booster dose.
In December, Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital, told The Guardian that the pandemic is not over and recommended taking the bivalent booster.
“Well, it’s certainly not [over],” said Hotez. “We’re still in 200-300 deaths per day. [Covid-19] is still the third or fourth leading cause of death in the United States. It’s definitely the wrong message to give, given the fact that we’re desperately trying to persuade the American people to take this [bivalent] booster.”
However, Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and a vaccine and infectious diseases expert, wrote on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine that the updated versions of the vaccines for the omicron variant were “underwhelming” and don’t show that they’re any better than the original shots.
