Canada opens public inquiry into COVID-19 vaccine injury claims

The Canadian government has commenced a public inquiry into reported injuries associated with COVID-19 vaccines, with dozens of affected citizens expected to testify about their experiences and the challenges they have faced in seeking medical care and compensation.

The four-day hearing, known as the Allison Inquiry, began on September 8 and will run until September 11. It is expected to hear testimony from about 50 Canadians who say they suffered injuries following COVID-19 vaccination.

The inquiry is chaired by Canadian Member of Parliament Dean Allison, after whom the proceedings are named.

Organisers said more than 1,400 Canadians applied to testify. While the limited duration of the hearing means only a fraction of applicants will appear in person, submissions from others are expected to be entered into the public record.

The proceedings opened with more than three hours of testimony from US Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who presented findings from his investigations into the handling of COVID-19 vaccine safety concerns and government responses to reported adverse events.

Johnson, chairman of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, told Canadian lawmakers that authorities needed to examine how vaccine-related risks were identified, communicated and addressed during the pandemic.

He called for what he described as a “COVID-19 reckoning”, arguing that greater transparency was necessary to understand the experiences of people who believe they were harmed by COVID-19 vaccines.

During his testimony, Johnson also recounted the case of a Canadian mother who he said became severely distressed following an alleged vaccine injury and later died through Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) programme.

He further raised concerns about the mental health challenges facing people who report vaccine-related injuries, saying some had struggled to obtain recognition, treatment and support.

Several Canadian lawmakers questioned Johnson about possible steps toward greater accountability and transparency regarding COVID-19-era policies and reported vaccine injuries.

One of the witnesses scheduled to testify is Julie Woods, a Canadian woman who says she developed health problems after receiving second and third doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

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Woods, a support group coordinator with React19 and co-founder of CANrise19, said many Canadians who believe they were injured by COVID-19 vaccines remain frustrated by what they describe as inadequate access to specialist medical care.

She said some affected individuals have been forced to travel outside Canada in search of treatment.

Another witness, Carrie Sakamoto, a Canadian mother of three, testified about health problems she said began after receiving AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines in 2021.

Sakamoto said she developed facial paralysis, hearing loss, fatigue, vertigo and severe head pain. She was subsequently diagnosed with Bell’s palsy.

According to Sakamoto, some of her doctors have acknowledged a possible connection between her symptoms and vaccination, but treatment has remained difficult.

“They don’t know how to treat me because it’s new and it’s hard to talk about,” she said.

Dr Joel Wallskog, co-chair of React19 and an orthopedic surgeon who says he became medically disabled following a Moderna COVID-19 vaccination, welcomed the inquiry.

He said formally documenting the experiences of people reporting vaccine injuries could encourage Canadian authorities and healthcare institutions to improve research, medical treatment and compensation mechanisms.

Bri Dressen, another React19 co-chair who says she was injured while participating in an AstraZeneca vaccine clinical trial, also criticised what she described as limited medical support available to affected Canadians.

The inquiry is also expected to examine Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program, including concerns about the number of claims approved and compensated.

In his opening remarks, Allison highlighted the programme’s compensation record, while Johnson argued that vaccine injury compensation schemes in countries such as Canada and the United States could face significantly higher costs if all eligible claims were fully assessed.

The Allison Inquiry comes amid continuing international debate over COVID-19 vaccine safety, adverse events, compensation and the appropriate medical response to people reporting persistent health problems after vaccination.

The proceedings are expected to place the experiences of affected Canadians on the public record and could fuel further discussion about vaccine safety monitoring, healthcare access, government accountability and compensation.