Manitoba family suing AstraZeneca after son's stroke following COVID-19 vaccination
Family says they believe hemorrhagic stroke in 2021 was caused by the vaccine
A Manitoba family is suing AstraZeneca Canada, alleging their son had a stroke following his COVID-19 vaccination that has left him unable to work or care for himself.
Jackson Troy Reimer, now 23, was "in excellent health" before getting vaccinated while working at the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia in 2021, according to a statement of claim filed in Manitoba's Court of King's Bench on March 16.
But six days after getting his shot, he started feeling dizzy, losing his vision and having severe headaches. A CT scan at Vancouver General Hospital found Reimer had a hemorrhagic stroke, the lawsuit says.
He later needed two platelet infusions, then underwent a craniotomy to stop bleeding in his brain and had to be intubated after becoming unresponsive — all outcomes Reimer and his parents, Marina Dawn Toews Reimer and Perry John Reimer, believe were caused by the vaccine.
"The plaintiffs claim that the stroke, the craniotomy and all symptoms arising from them were caused as a result of Jackson having been administered the AstraZeneca vaccine or Covishield," the court filing says.
No statements of defence have been filed. None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been proven in court.
Blood clot concerns
The family is also suing Vail Resorts, which runs the ski facility where Jackson Reimer worked.
The lawsuit alleges the company emailed employees on March 15, 2021, and recommended those living in staff housing get the AstraZeneca shot at their first opportunity.
The same day as that email, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the shot was safe and Canadians should have no concern about getting it, after roughly a dozen European countries suspended its use over concerns about blood clots.
Two weeks later, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended pausing use of the vaccine in people under age 55 because of safety concerns.
That change came following reports out of Europe of very rare instances of blood clots in some immunized patients, notably among younger women.
The lawsuit also names as defendants the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, the attorney general of Canada and the Ontario-based Verity Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer authorization holder for the Covishield vaccine, which is the Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca shot.
Anne Génier, a spokesperson for Health Canada, said in a Wednesday email the agency has just been made aware of the claim and is reviewing it.
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority spokesperson Jeremy Deutsch said in an email the authority has no comment on the matter, as it is before the courts.
The suit alleges the defendants deprived Reimer of his right to informed consent and negligently misrepresented the vaccine by failing to inform him of all the possible risks associated with the shot and by continuing to provide it, in spite of some adverse reactions.
Canada confirmed its first case of a rare but potentially fatal blood clot in connection with the AstraZeneca vaccine on April 13, 2021.
The national vaccine committee said a month earlier the condition occurred at a rate of about one in 100,000 people vaccinated, with a mortality rate of about 40 per cent, but that more research was needed and risk was reduced if treated early enough.
The lawsuit also claims Health Canada's promotional slogan "the first vaccine is the best vaccine" was false.
"For Jackson, the AstraZeneca vaccine and/or Covishield was not the best vaccine. Other vaccines were both safer and more effective," it says.
Lasting effects of stroke
Since March 2021, Reimer has been unable to hold gainful employment, advance his university education or carry out many activities of daily living, the court filing says.
He's now legally blind and has other symptoms related to mental focus and concentration, memory loss, mental impairment and obsessive compulsive disorder tendencies, according to the claim.
Reimer also has physical symptoms including brain seizures, excessive weight gain, and impaired bowel function and control, the lawsuit says.
His symptoms, which are expected to continue indefinitely, are so severe that Reimer is unable to live alone and requires ongoing assistance with daily activities, the claim alleges. It also says his parents have been unable to work their regular hours due to their son's care demands.
The family is seeking damages for Reimer's injuries, loss of income and costs of care.