A man from Prince Eduardo island wants others to have knowledge of a federal program that offers compensation for serious and permanent injuries of the vaccines approved by Health Canada, since he lost the deadline for the application and has been left in a serious narrow.
Kent Gillespie used to rotate between three different occupations to make a living.
“I was doing construction, I’ve been cooking for many years and I had my own painting company,” he said during an interview with CBC News at his home in Charlottetown.
His life is very different now.
“I tried to work with my nephew and it seemed that every second day I had to take the day off because my hands were locked like that,” he said, showing his narrow and painful fingers. “I am much less a human being.”
Gillespie said that his problems began with back pain shortly after his first dose of the modern vaccine for Covid-19 in 2021. His legs also occurred, and the collapse sent him to the hospital.
The doctors did not know what was wrong, he said, so when the time of his second vaccine photo came, he continued. It was then that the mysterious problem with his hands began.
Now their days have passed by applying anti -inflammatory cream, trying to move the best you can and wishing that there would be a better awareness of support for people with vaccine injuries.
“It’s hard because I [feel] I’m alone. No one is going to help me. I called everywhere. ”
Rare, but not unknown adverse reactions
The vast majority of people worldwide who have received vaccines that have had since early 2021 have had minor side effects at maximum. When Canada stopped updating its database in adverse reactions to Covid vaccines in December 2023, only 0.011 percent of all administered doses had led to what was considered serious reactions.
The text in that database also pointed out: “Adverse events can occur after vaccinating with a COVID-19 vaccine, but are not necessarily related to the vaccine.”
In December 2020, the Federal Government had launched a program to support and compensate people for “serious and permanent” linked to any type of vaccine authorized by Health Canada.
The support program for vaccines injuries is called.
As of December 2024, it says its website, the program had paid $ 16.6 million to 209 people from 3,060 claims presented on that date. Of the 1,049 that had been evaluated by a Medical Review Board, 328 people who were rejected by compensation had appealed. Only 10 appeals had led to a dump of the original decision at the end of 2024.
When requesting, a doctor must complete part of his application form, he supports his claim that his injury was caused by the vaccine. You must also request within three years after your symptoms arise.
However, Gillespie did not know that the compensation program existed until last year. He said his doctor completed the paperwork and sent it, just to be told to arrive 10 months too late for his claim to be considered.
“I was really disgusted, that our government could do this to us, go out with yours.”
Kent Gillespie would love to be able to work full time again, but says that his hands and back have never been the same, since he had a bad reaction to a Covid-19 vaccine. That is very rare, but there is a federal program to offer support to people with serious and permanent injuries when obtaining a health approved vaccine. Unfortunately, as SHEEHAN DESJARDINS OF CBC reports, Gillespie was too late requesting help and now has any place where to turn.
Claims can take 18 months or more
The program, funded by the Canada Public Health Agency, is applied to the vaccines authorized by Health Canada and administered in Canada from December 8, 2020.
The vaccine injury support program is administered by a company called Oxaro “to ensure impartiality”, in the words of a spokesman for the Canada Public Health Agency.
It is intended to help people who have “a severe, potentially mortal or altering injury of life that may require hospitalization in person, or an extending of existing hospitalization, and results in a persistent or significant disability or disability, or when the result is a malformation or congenital death.”
“The average claim takes 12 to 18 months to process, but sometimes it can take longer,” Phac spokesman told CBC News in an email.
An Oxaro program official told CBC News in an email that cannot address any individual case for privacy reasons.
“The VISP team makes a diligent cases review to ensure that the claimant’s history and the evolution of the injury are understood when applying the three -year threshold,” said the email. “The claims filed after the maximum of three years unfortunately cannot be considered.”
The email said the information about the program was available on the Canada government website, and can be found looking for “vaccine injuries”, and was also publicized by the Canada Public Health Agency.
CBC News communicated with PEI’s main public health office to find out what other supports are available. A spokesman responded on Thursday afternoon.
“The serious adverse events caused by vaccines are very rare,” email began, before giving details about adverse reaction surveillance measures and the same program that Gillespie had already tried: the support program for vaccine injuries.
The review could have been
Gillespie asks his case to be reviewed, but the Canada Public Health Agency has told him that he could take years.
It is written to all who may think, including Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office. They responded in early April to refer to the Office of the Minister of Health, which responded a month later.
I deeply regret knowing the problems and challenges you are experiencing. I can’t start imagining frustration and the impact it has had on your daily life.– Letter from the Phac official
“On behalf of the Minister of Health, I wish to thank you for sharing your experience with the support program for vaccine injuries … I really regret knowing the problems and challenges you are experiencing. I cannot begin to imagine the frustration and the impact it has had on your daily life,” the Phac’s Steven Sternthal letter began.
But he continued: “Phac is not directly involved in any individual case evaluation, decisions or results and cannot intervene in the name of individual claimants. This agreement ensures that the cases receive an impartial and independent medical review.”
Gillespie doesn’t have much fight, or money, stays.
“It would mean the world,” he said about the possible compensation involved. “It would be … stay in a house, I would keep my car, [I would] To be able to pick up my daughter, take their places and things like that, “he said.
“However, I will never be the same person I was again. I feel that I have lost 20 years of my life.”
