A triumph of science and public health, Covid vaccines are estimated to have prevented millions of hospitalizations and deaths. However, even the best vaccines produce rare but serious side effects.
Author Apoorva Mandavelli spent more than a year speaking with dozens of vaccine science experts, policymakers, and people who said they experienced serious side effects after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, and outlined her findings in a report in the New York Times.
“Within minutes of receiving the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, Michelle Zimmerman felt pain accelerating from her left arm to her ear and all the way to her fingertips. Within days, she became unbearably sensitive to light and had difficulty remembering simple facts,” she wrote.
Michelle Zimmerman was 37 years old and had a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and even then she could ride her bike 20 miles, teach a dance class and give a lecture on artificial intelligence, all in the same day. Now, more than 3 years later, she lives with her parents. Eventually, she was diagnosed with brain damage, and was unable to work, drive or even stand for long periods of time.
“When I allow myself to think about the devastation this has done to my life, and how much I’ve lost, sometimes I feel like it’s very difficult to comprehend,” said Dr. Zimmerman, who believes her injury was caused by a contaminant.
Covid vaccines have been given to more than 270 million people in the United States, in nearly 677 million doses.
Dr. Zimmerman’s account is among the most horrific, but thousands of Americans believe they have experienced serious side effects after being vaccinated against Covid. As of April, just over 13,000 vaccine damage claims have been submitted to the federal government — to no avail. Only 19 percent were reviewed. Only 47 of them were deemed eligible for compensation, and only 12 were paid compensation, averaging about $3,600.