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Was Covid vaccine cause of Bronny James' collapse? Elon Musk's speculation sparks outrage on social media

Bronny James fell unconscious while practicing at the University of South California during a training session at Galen Center on Monday morning

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Elon Musk sparked outrage on social media by speculating that Lebron James’ son Bronny suffering cardiac arrest could have been linked to the Covid-19 vaccine. The 18-year-old son of the basketball superstar fell unconscious while practicing at the University of South California during a training session at Galen Center on Monday morning. 

TMZ reported the situation was serious and Bronny was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with lights and sirens following the 911 call. He was taken to the ICU and then transferred to general care here his condition is reported to be stable.

Was Covid-19 vaccine cause of Bronny's collapse?

In a statement on Tuesday, the family confirmed the news and said, “He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update the media when there is more information.” However, soon after the news of Bronny's cardiac arrest circulated, Twitter CEO Elon Musk, while replying to a news story on Bronny suffering cardiac arrest, tweeted, “We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.”

According to the Yale School of Medicine website, myocarditis, a condition characterized by inflammation of the heart muscle, "is a rare side effect of mRNA Covid-19 vaccine." It states these vaccines have been widely successful in protecting against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants.

'Mr X has decided - once again - to weaponize conspiracy theories'

Following the tweet, there were many social media users raising apprehensions about the young star's fate. Many among them slammed the CEO for drawing conclusions. California representative Ted Lieu reacted to Musk's tweet, “You have access to vast resources. Please consult some. You don’t know if Mr James even has myocarditis. More importantly, the American Heart Association has stated ‘Covid-19 infection poses a higher risk for myocarditis than vaccines.’” Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Christine Pelosi also wrote, "Praying for #bronnyjames’ full recovery. Since Mr X has decided - once again - to weaponize conspiracy theories that exacerbate a public family’s private pain - here are the facts: Myocarditis is a more common side effect of Covid than of the vaccine."

Journalist Ed Krassenstein replied, "Myocarditis is also a much more common symptom of Covid. It's also something that has been happening to athletes since the beginning of sports."

It has been observed that it is not the first time, the owner of Twitter has previously expressed doubts about the effectiveness of vaccines and has also endorsed conspiracy theories about the virus. In a tweet last month, he stated that he generally supports vaccination, but added that the world has gone overboard with the Covid-19 vaccination. He referred to the virus as the "virus of Theseus" due to the significant changes in its RNA sequences. Furthermore, he claimed that he and many people he knows have suffered from severe side effects after getting vaccinated, and he believes that denying this fact is dishonest.

LeBron also received support from Bills Damar Hamlin

Bronny the NBA superstar LeBron also received support from Bills Damar Hamlin, 25, who suffered a cardiac arrest on January 2 while on the field playing Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin was miraculously saved and was resuscitated twice on the field before being rushed to the hospital ICU. "Prayers to Bronny & The James family as well," Hamlin tweeted alongside a praying emoji. "Here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process."  Bronny, who committed to USC in May, took another step on the path to following his father's basketball footsteps by choosing to wear his iconic No 6 at the school for his freshman year. LeBron is believed to want to keep playing in the NBA until Bronny can join him in the league. "I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny," James told ESPN in January. "Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him," he said." But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr and Jr thing. That would be ideal for sure."