A young woman who died suddenly while waiting for her child outside a kindergarten was suffering from an aortic dissection allegedly caused by the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a false narrative promoted by the conspiracy website activenews.ro.
NEWS: Forensic doctors have established the cause of death of Livia Anton, the 29-year-old woman who died suddenly while waiting for her child outside a kindergarten in Botoșani. The autopsy confirmed that her death was caused by an aortic dissection, an extremely serious cardiovascular condition.
[...] Researcher Nicolas Hulscher, MPH, documented a similar sudden death of a young man following vaccination: “Just 16 days after his first Pfizer dose, he died. The postmortem analysis revealed vaccine-derived spike proteins in his heart, along with myocarditis, pericarditis and a fatal aortic dissection.
Sixteen days after receiving his first Pfizer mRNA injection, the healthy 34-year-old son of Henrietta Simoes collapsed and died suddenly from aortic dissection and cardiac arrest. What followed was an unrelenting search for answers, culminating in a published, peer-reviewed case report documenting his death.
This study, “A Case of Myocarditis, Pericarditis and Fatal Aortic Dissection Following COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination”, confirms what Henrietta had feared all along: vaccine-derived spike protein was found embedded in his heart and aorta, alongside histological evidence of eosinophilic myocarditis, lymphocytic pericarditis and severe inflammatory infiltration of the aortic wall”, writes Nicolas Hulscher in a broader analysis.
NARRATIVE: The COVID-19 vaccine causes aortic dissection.
PURPOSE: To revive anti-vaccine narratives, particularly those targeting mRNA vaccines. To generate a public panic and reinforce the refusal of an increasingly large segment of the population to get vaccinated, thus simultaneously fueling the electorate of the extremist political pole that coalesced and peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, precisely due to anti-vaccine and anti-medical measures rhetoric promoted by AUR and SOS Romania.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: According to expert studies, aortic dissection is a rare and extremely dangerous cardiovascular condition which, indeed, can cause sudden death, although it has entirely different, well-known causes, and certainly not the “spike protein appearing in the heart and aorta after mRNA vaccines”.
The primary cause of aortic dissection is high blood pressure, which places pressure on the walls of the aorta, weakening them and leading to rupture. High blood pressure can be easily detected through a routine medical check-up, including by a general practitioner.
In addition to high blood pressure, aortic dissection may also be caused by genetic disorders, a pre-existing aneurysm at the time of rupture, or arteriosclerosis (fat deposits on the aorta). Like high blood pressure, such conditions can be identified through medical examination.
On the other hand, there is no scientific evidence that mRNA vaccines cause aortic dissection, nor has any increase in cases of aortic dissection following COVID-19 vaccination been documented.
At the same time, it has been established that infection with COVID-19 (preventable through vaccination) can affect the heart and the entire cardiovascular system, and in many cases, particularly among patients with comorbidities, has led to death.
Therefore, the theory that the COVID-19 vaccine causes aortic dissection is purely speculative and not scientifically substantiated. Moreover, if a person dies shortly after receiving a vaccine, this does not equate to the vaccine being the cause of death.
Had there been a real risk, it would have been rapidly identified within the medical community and publicly communicated, as was indeed the case with myocarditis, which is considered a rare adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccines.
The “victim” of the vaccine did not die suddenly and it is unknown whether she was vaccinated
No public information has emerged regarding the young woman’s alleged COVID-19 vaccination, and ActiveNews provided no source for this claim. The publication merely stated that Livia Anton died of an aortic dissection, then presented other deaths caused by aortic dissection involving individuals who were purportedly vaccinated.
Furthermore, the young woman’s death was not “sudden” - on the contrary. Local media reported statements from her mother, who claimed that three days before her death, her daughter had complained of severe chest pain but did not seek medical attention because the pain subsided at one point, allowing her to resume her daily activities.
However, medical professionals cited by the media stated that this was an early warning sign that should have prompted her to seek specialized medical examination, which might have prevented the “sudden” death.
CONTEXT: This narrative has been recurring since 2020 and is revived by websites and figures known for promoting anti-science medical claims whenever a case of sudden or seemingly unexplained death arises, especially among young individuals.
Veridica showed in 2023, 2024 and 2025 how anti-mRNA vaccine theories are periodically revived, as well as how effectively they capture the attention of social media users, spread rapidly and create deeply entrenched beliefs within a large segment of the population.
In practical terms, the context in which this narrative is repeatedly revived (through various iterations of the primordial falsehood “the vaccine kills you”) is a dangerous one. Romania has become one of the European Union countries with the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates, is experiencing a decline in uptake of traditional vaccines (for example, measles vaccination) and records low coverage for other vaccines such as HPV, which prevents cervical cancer, a disease for which Romania has the highest mortality rate.
Moreover, the “expert” cited by Active News is isolated within the medical community. Nicolas Hulscher is known for his controversial, false or misleading claims he has made regarding various medical conditions. He is clearly associated with the anti-vaccine segment of the population and is a radical skeptic of vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to his official account on X, he is also affiliated with the McCullough Foundation, an organization linked to Peter McCullough, who is likewise known for controversial positions on COVID-19.
Hulscher has published numerous articles containing information considered inaccurate regarding the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines. The “epidemiologist” promoted by Active News claims that vaccines “weaken the immune system,” lack efficacy, and that there is a link between the COVID-19 vaccine and cancer.
The information and conclusions he presents are not supported by any evidence or sound methodology, and a number of key factors and data points are omitted in his arguments. Furthermore, Hulscher has also promoted the false claim that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA, theory based solely on exaggerated interpretations or highly isolated cases.
Finally, Nicolas Hulscher is not regarded as a relevant figure within the epidemiological community in the United States, nor does he represent the internationally recognized scientific medical community (such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the European Medicines Agency).
