When the SARS-CoV-2 virus first began circulating, it was easy to think of it as a respiratory disease. After all, from coughing to low oxygen levels, the most noticeable symptoms involve the lungs, and the connection between people contracting COVID-19 and ending up requiring a ventilator to breathe is absolutely real. This pneumonia-like response, in which inflamed material collects in the lungs and increasingly makes it difficult to absorb oxygen, is the most widely recognized means of death following infection. As the mechanism of the virus has become better known, it’s become clear that SARS-CoV-2 generates blood clots. These clots can be small, causing damage to the tiny vessels in organs. They can be larger, leading to a high rate of heart attacks and strokes even among patients who appear to have recovered from COVID-19. They can even become so numerous that they clog dialysis machines and prevent treatment of patients suffering from kidney damage and diabetes.
But it also appears that there’s still another effect of COVID-19. One that comes from a direct infection of the heart. Infection of heart tissue can lead to damage even among patients who have mild cases of COVID-19. It can even happen among patients who are completely asymptomatic. This effect of COVID-19 on heart tissue now appears to be far more widespread than previously understood, and lingers long after the initial infection is gone. This heart damage is hitting even the youngest and fittest patients—like college athletes.
As Scientific American reports, athletes at both the college and professional levels are finding that their bodies are not the same after experiencing COVID-19. Over a dozen athletes at “Power Five” conference schools have had myocardial injuries following coronavirus infection. Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez left for the season after suffering myocarditis following his encounter with COVID-19. Rodriguez told reporters that he felt “100 years old.” He’s 27.
Myocarditis is far from a death sentence. It can go away on its own over time. But that’s far from a guarantee. It can also be the first state in chronic heart failure or even sudden death. Pro basketball player Michael Ojo collapsed during training in August and died of a heart attack just days after supposedly recovering from COVID-19. That experience mirrors that of many others who have come out of the disease with damage to the heart or other organs, even if their experience of COVID-19 was “mild.”
As Centre Times Daily reports, the frequency of heart damage for athletes infected with COVID-19 is extraordinarily high. In a Monday night meeting, Penn State director of athletic medicine Wayne Sebastianelli revealed that about one third of Big Ten athletes who have recovered from COVID-19 have been found to have myocarditis. “When we looked at our COVID-positive athletes, whether they were symptomatic or not, 30 to roughly 35 percent of their heart muscles are inflamed,” said Sebastianelli. That percentage may be mirrored in the general public, it’s just that the hearts of college athletes have been given a closer look.
Sebastianelli made this announcement two days before Donald Trump called Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to insist that the Big Ten needed to play as soon as possible. "I think it was very productive about getting Big Ten playing again and immediately," said Trump said. " ... I think they want to play, and the fans want to see it, and the players have a lot at stake, including possibly playing in the NFL.”
The players do have a lot at stake. They have their lives at stake. With a third of all athletes showing signs of at least temporary heart damage following COVID-19, what Trump is asking is nothing less than that these students get back out there and give him a “win” he can brag about … even if they pay the ultimate price.
In addition to the high rate of heart damage, there’s a previous study from July indicating that about 10% of COVID-19 patients suffered from blood clots. About 5% suffered from clotting severe enough to obstruct flow through a major blood vessel, with most suffering deep vein thrombosis in the legs. That was the issue that led to the amputation of Broadway star Nick Cordero’s leg back in April. The actor and dancer died some weeks later at age 41.
Some of the fittest people imaginable are suffering from the damage done to their bodies by this virus. Some of them may never recover enough to resume their athletic careers. Some of them could very possibly die. Exposing thousands of student athletes to COVID-19 is asking far too much for kids, 90% of whom will never earn a dollar from their appearance on the field. The myth that COVID-19 is “almost perfectly safe” for younger people is exactly that, a myth. And a sick one.
Unfortunately, as ESPN reports, while the Big Ten may still be insisting that all the medical data is not in, three other major conferences—the ACC, Big 12, and SEC—have decided to play games this fall. After all, it’s not school administrators or coaches who have their hearts on the line.