An autopsy has been ordered for a 13-year-old Saginaw County boy, Jacob Clynick, who died in his sleep three days after getting his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in mid-June with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirming the incident.
Clynick, who lived in Zilwaukee, had just completed eighth grade when he got his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine June 13 at a Walgreens store, said Tammy Burages, his aunt.
His aunt confirmed that he was healthy and had no known underlying medical conditions as he was looking forward to starting classes in the fall as a freshman at Carrollton High School when he died.
According to her, he complained of common post-vaccine symptoms- fatique and fever, in the two days between his immunization and death.
On the night of June 15, he had a bit of a stomach ache, too, but it wasn’t severe enough to cause serious concern, Burages said.
“He passed away in the middle of the night at home,” she said.
The county health department told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the medical examiner’s office conducted an autopsy and the death was reported to the state health department as well as the CDC.
“The investigation as to whether there is a correlation between his death and vaccination is now at the federal level with CDC,” said a joint statement issued by Saginaw County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Delicia Pruitt and Health Officer Christina Harrington.
“Meanwhile, the health department continues to encourage families to speak with their physicians to weigh their own risks and benefits of vaccination.”
However, the family has been told that preliminary autopsy findings suggest Jacob’s heart was enlarged when he died and there was fluid around his heart.
Although, the Michigan Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine, which is the contracted medical examiner for Saginaw County, would not confirm those preliminary findings to the Free Press.
“We can verify that we are managing the investigation, and that’s the extent of what I can share,” said Randy Pfau, director of operations for the institute. The institute’s doctors are communicating with the CDC on this case, he said.
“It’s still an ongoing investigation,” he said, which could take three to five months to complete. “I know the doctors are working on this case as a priority.”
Jacob’s funeral was June 26 – just three days after a CDC advisory committee acknowledged “a likely association” between the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines and a risk of heart problems in adolescents and young adults.
He loved gaming and loved Pokémon. Jacob was “known for his jokes and had a meme for every occasion. But, what he really loved most was his family,” according to the obituary.
He is survived by his parents, Joseph Clynick and Courtney Jones; siblings, Gage, Cayden and Missy; grandparents, Kim Sloan and Don and Ann Clynick and many other relatives.
