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The AstraZeneca vaccine 'victims': From families losing loved ones to those left with life-changing injuries, the lives ruined by pharmaceutical giant's Covid jab as it admits for first time that it can cause rare side effect
The AstraZeneca vaccine was said to have saved more than six million lives around the world in the first year of the rollout during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But at least 81 Britons died from blood clot complications that appeared to be linked to the jab, according to figures collated by UK drug watchdog the MHRA.
Now, the Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company has admitted in court for the first time that its Covid vaccine can cause the deadly blood clotting side effect.
The extremely rare reaction is at the heart of a huge class action by dozens of families who allege they or loved ones were injured or killed by the jab.
Product details for the AstraZeneca jab were updated publicly in April 2021, with MHRA approval, to include the possibility that it was capable in very rare cases of being a trigger for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).
As families and survivors continue to fight for compensation, MailOnline has compiled the stories of some of those whose deaths were linked to the vaccine.
Lisa Shaw, 44
Lisa Shaw, 44
Lisa Shaw, an award-winning radio presenter on BBC Radio Newcastle, died in May 2021.
Until she was admitted to hospital she had been fit, healthy and fizzing with the sort of energy her job on the morning show required.
Ms Shaw had been vaccinated on April 29, but started developing headaches a week later.
On May 13, she was admitted to hospital where her husband Gareth Eve, now 43, was handed a print-out explaining what VITT was.
At first doctors were confident they could treat it, but on May 16, Ms Shaw started to have speech problems.
Her husband recalled: 'We were having a conversation about [their son] Zach's swimming lessons and she couldn't get out the word 'goggles'.'
It was discovered that she had suffered a bleed on the brain, and was rushed to surgery where part of her skull was removed to ease the pressure.
She never recovered and spent the last five days of her life on a ventilator, as her family gathered in shock. She died on May 21, leaving behind her six-year-old son Zach.
Tom Dudley, 31
Tom Dudley, 31
Tom Dudley, 31, who had no underlying health conditions, got his first dose of the AstraZeneca jab near his home in Sheffield on April 27, 2021.
The 30-plus age group was not called forward for the Covid vaccine until late May that year.
It is not clear if the father-of-two was called forward for a jab early as some people who lived with vulnerable Brits were or, as happened at various points during the initial vaccine rollout, he was able to get a jab early in his area.
Mr Dudley, who worked as a carpet salesman, soon began to suffer headaches — a common side effect of the vaccine that normally faded within days.
Two weeks after getting the jab, he was found unresponsive in the early hours at the home he shared with his partner Simone and their two daughters.
The Sheffield United fan was rushed to Northern General Hospital, but doctors said the bleed on his brain was 'incurable' and he died three days later.
It is not clear if this bleed was specifically caused by a condition called vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT), which causes dangerous blood clots to form in various parts of the body, including the brain.
However, a medic who treated the father-of-two in hospital told an inquest into his death that it was 'fair to say' he would still be alive today if he was given a different vaccine.
Mr Dudley's GP said that given his age, lack of underlying conditions and the medical advice at the time, it was appropriate to give him AstraZeneca's jab. Coroner Tanyka Rawden recorded his cause of death as a bleed on the brain, caused by the vaccine.
Jack Hurn, 26
Jack Hurn, 26
Jack Hurn, from Redditch in Worcestershire, died from 'catastrophic' blood clots after receiving AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine.
The 26-year-old died in June 2021, less than two weeks after receiving the jab at a Dudley vaccine centre.
A week-long inquest at Birmingham Coroner's Court heard that a GP informed Mr Hurn the risk of blood clots on the brain for his age group was one in 250,000, when NHS guidance had actually estimated it to be one in 50,000.
The inquest heard the automotive design graduate chose to go ahead with the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on May 29, 2021, after being told there was no Pfizer jab in stock.
Mr Hurn, originally from Devon, began suffering with headaches within days and died on June 11 at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, despite emergency surgery.
Doctors allegedly described him as having 'catastrophic' blood clots on the brain.
Emma Brown, Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, ruled in a report that his death was 'due to a rare but recognised complication' of the vaccination.
Alpa Tailor, 35
Alpa Tailor, 35
Mother-of-two Alpa Tailor, 35, died from blood clots on her brain caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Alpa fell ill just over a week after getting her first dose of the coronavirus jab in March 2021.
The 30-plus age group was not called forward for Covid vaccine until late May that year.
It is not clear if Ms Tailor was called forward for a jab early or if she was able to get a jab early in the area.
St Pancras Coroner's Court heard that Ms Tailor was complaining of a headache before she suffered stroke-like symptoms, including slurred speech and a facial droop.
She was rushed to hospital on April 8 and quickly diagnosed with the then-new complication VITT.
Alpa had surgery to relieve pressure on her brain and, whilst doctors initially thought she had responded well to treatment, on April 22, medics discovered she was suffering from massive brain haemorrhaging.
The devoted mother, who had the jab to 'protect her family', died on April 24 and a post-mortem examination found she had suffered multiple brain clots.
Kelly Dunley, 38
Kelly Dunley, 38
Kelly Dunley, 38, died after developing a deep vein thrombosis — a type of blood clot — after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid jab, a coroner ruled.
Ms Dunley, from Stoke-on-Trent, had her first jab on March 2, 2021.
The 30-plus age group was not called forward for Covid vaccine until late May that year.
It is not clear if Ms Dunley was called forward for a jab early or if she was able to get a jab early in the area.
She was rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital on May 17 that year after collapsing.
Despite the efforts of medics, she died at the hospital on the same day. A post-mortem found a blood clot in her leg had travelled to her lung.
The examination also found that she had a laceration to her liver, which was likely caused by the attempted resuscitation, and an abnormal spleen.
A coroner ruled in June 2022 that her death was a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis and was linked to 'complications of the vaccine'.
Nicola Weideling, 45
Nicola Weideling, 45, with her husband Kurt
Nicola Weideling died of a stroke attributed to the AstraZeneca jab.
The 45-year-old Oxford University Press executive suffered catastrophic bleeds on her brain after being hospitalised with blood clots caused by the vaccine.
She received the jab 24 days prior on April 21.
Her husband, Kurt, paid tribute to her during an inquest into her death saying she was 'a supporter and believer in getting vaccinated. She went on the first or second day she was eligible for her age group to get vaccinated'.
Ms Weideling had complained to her GP following her jab about neck pain but the link to jab was not made until she was taken to hospital with several other symptoms of blood clots.
A post-mortem examination showed Ms Weideling died on May 15, 2021 after suffering a stroke caused by VITT.
Oli Akram Hoque, 26
Oli Akram Hoque, 26
Oli Akram Hoque, 26, from Ilford, East London, died from a rare blood clot weeks after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The trainee solicitor received his first dose on March 19, 2021, before suffering increasingly 'excruciating' headaches and vomiting blood.
People in their late 20s were not called forward for the initial jab rollout until June.
It is unclear if Mr Hoque was called in for a jab early or if he was able to get a vaccine sooner than expected in his area.
He died at Queen's Hospital in Romford on April 15, 2021 — one month before his 27th birthday.
His father told an inquest that Mr Hoque had gone to the urgent treatment centre located at the Royal London Hospital on April 5.
However, he claimed his son was was 'discharged without proper diagnosis or investigation' with an injection to stop him being sick.
His father also said Mr Hoque had 'requested a scan to be carried out but his request was declined'.
He later had a seizure and was taken back to Queen's Hospital where a CT scan identified a blood clot. He was then put on blood thinners but later died in hospital.
A coroner concluded in October 2022 that he died as a result of the 'very rare complication' caused by the Covid-19 vaccine.
Stephen Wright, 32
Dr Stephen Wright, 32, with his wife Charlotte
Dr Stephen Wright, 32, who worked as a clinical psychologist in South East London, suffered a blood clot in the brain after having his first dose of the jab in January 2021.
He was among the earliest groups of people to be given the vaccine during the pandemic.
Dr Wright suffered from a combination of a brainstem infarction, bleed on the brain and 'vaccine-induced thrombosis'.
He was taken to Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington and moved to King's College Hospital as his condition rapidly worsened. But the nature of the bleed meant Dr Wright was unfit for surgery. He died on the evening of January 26.
Regarding the official documents detailing Dr Wright's death, a coroner said: 'It is very important to record as fact that it is the AstraZeneca vaccine – but that is different from blaming AstraZeneca.
'He attended an A&E department just after midnight where was found to have high blood pressure and a sagittal sinus thrombosis.
'He was transferred to King's College Hospital at 6.39am but, due to the extent of the bleed and very low platelets, was unfit for surgery.'
Medical experts told the court nothing could be done to save him as his condition quickly worsened.
Jack Last, 27
Jack Last, 27
Jack Last, a 27-year-old man from Stowmarket, Suffolk, was vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab on March 30, 2021.
But a week later, he was admitted to hospital after experiencing headaches and sickness.
A subsequent scan revealed the engineer had a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a type of blood clot in the brain, and he died on April 10.
People in their late 20s were not called forward for the initial jab rollout until June.
It is unclear why Mr Last was called in early to get a jab.
A coroner investigating his passing ruled that he died from a reaction to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Michelle Barlow, 51
Michelle Barlow, 51
Michelle Barlow, a 'fit and healthy' mother-of-two from Wigan, died from blood clots caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021.
The 51-year-old began suffering headaches and nausea about a week after receiving her first dose of the jab.
She was eventually admitted to hospital but died later that month.
Mrs Barlow, who worked as a civil servant for the Department of Work and Pensions for 34 years, was found to have suffered multiple organ failure caused by VITT.
Her family were unable to see her in hospital for most of the time she was there due to Covid restrictions.
A coroner said in November 2021 that she died from 'unrecognised' complications after having the Covid vaccine - and was wrongly diagnosed with gastroenteritis.
Zion, 48
Zion, 48
A rock singer, who called himself Zion XXX , suffered a 'catastrophic brain injury' from a rare complication triggered by the AstraZeneca jab.
The 48-year-old had an agonising headache on May 13, 2021, eight days after getting his first dose.
He later died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on May 19.
An inquest held at Newcastle Coroner's Court in August 2022 heard how his condition severely deteriorated in the days after his headaches began.
A paramedic who was first called to Zion's home in Alston, Cumbria, on May 15, 2021, gave evidence at the inquest and said Zion was 'alert and sat up' when she arrived.
She told the hearing that she advised Zion to go to hospital for further checks, but he said he did not want to go for fear of catching Covid.
Vikki Spit, Zion's fiancé and partner of 21 years, told the inquest the paramedic was 'adamant' the migraine was nothing to do with the vaccine and that they both 'believed her'.
The paramedic said she didn't receive official guidance regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine and its rare potential risks until around July that year.
On May 17, another paramedic arrived at Zion's home and described him as 'confused and vacant'. Zion then had a small seizure and he was immediately taken to Carlisle Hospital in an ambulance.
He was then transferred to Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne for emergency brain surgery, with medics finding he had suffered a brain bleed, causing it to dangerously swell. Despite their efforts, Zion died.
At his inquest, Vikki said: 'We knew younger people weren't getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.
'But he wasn't in that age group so we didn't think anything of it. It was all good, he'd done his bit, he was keeping people safe.'
Senior coroner Karen Dilks, said: 'Zion died due to very rare and aggressive complications of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccination.'
Kimberley Lockwood, 34
Kimberley Lockwood, 34
A mother-of-two with a brain condition died 10 days after getting her AstraZeneca vaccine.
Kimberley Lockwood, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was found to have suffered a 'catastrophic brain bleed' from a rare side effect of the jab on March 24, 2021.
She complained of an excruciating headache eight days after her AstraZeneca jab on March 14 that year.
The 34-year-old sought help from medics at Rotherham Hospital but died 17 hours after being admitted.
At an inquest in March 2022, her cause of death was recorded as VITT.
In her comments, South Yorkshire Coroner Nicola Mundy said Mrs Lockwood had been 'extremely unlucky'. She suffered from idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), a disorder that causes increased fluid pressure around the brain.
IIH can cause incredibly painful headaches and Ms Lockwood and her family originally suspected this was cause of her headache in the days after her jab.
She sought medical help for her headache on March 22, going to A&E as her symptoms began to worry her.
But after being told it would be two-hour wait to be seen, she decided to go home. Mrs Lockwood returned the next morning as her symptoms got worse.
Yet she died the following day in hospital. Her husband, Damien, described her as someone who 'everybody loved' and who would 'light up a room'.
Kasey Turner, 18
Kasey Turner, 18
One of the youngest victims of the AstraZeneca jabs is thought to be 18-year-old Kasey Turner, who died in February 2021.
The student paramedic died two weeks after receiving the vaccine after being prioritized in the jab roll-out as a healthcare worker.
While as a healthy young person she had a low risk of suffering serious health complications from Covid, health staff like her were given the jab to reduce the risk they might pass it on to elderly and vulnerable people they worked with.
Miss Turner, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, was admitted to hospital after experiencing intense headaches.
These were later revealed to be caused by cerebral venous thrombosis, an extremely rare complication of the vaccine itself.
An inquest in March last year found that she had died due to VITT.
Richard Todman, 60
Richard Todman, pictured with wife Deborah
One week after his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021, Richard Todman suffered catastrophic blood clots in his bowel.
The condition can quickly become life-threatening, as the clots can break off and travel elsewhere in the body, stopping blood and nutrients from reaching vital organs.
Within three weeks, the 60-year-old part-time employment judge from North London was dead.
A coroner's report later confirmed the cause of the clots that killed him was the AstraZeneca jab.
His wife Deborah described him as the 'love of her life'.
'We didn't have children, so we spent our lives together travelling the world and having adventures,' she said in May 2022. 'His death really was the worst thing that could have ever happened.'
Despite the heartbreak, she acknowledged that his death was an anomaly. 'Richard never hesitated to have the vaccine,' she said.
'As far as he was concerned, it was the right thing to do. He was very keen to have it to keep himself and others safe.'
Tanya Smith, 43
Tanya Smith, 43
Tanya Smith, a mother-of three, died of multiple blood clots just weeks after having the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The 43-year-old received her jab on March 21, 2021 at the Plymouth Argyle vaccination clinic.
But the childminder then began suffering from severe stomach pains in the days after getting the jab.
She was later admitted into Derriford Hospital and died on April 3 in intensive care.
At an inquest into Ms Smith's death in December that year, senior coroner Ian Arrow said the blood clots were a 'very rare complication' of the coronavirus vaccine.
As a key worker, Ms Smith was prioritised for the vaccine. Other people in their 40s would have to wait until April to be called forward for a Covid jab.
Neil Miller, 50
Neil Miller, 50, with his wife Kam Miller
Neil Miller, a father-of-two, died on May 1, 2021, about one month after getting his first AstraZeneca jab.
The 50-year-old, from Leicester, suffered from cold-like symptoms, including headaches, in weeks following the initial dose.
Mr Miller, who wrote IT manuals, took himself to bed on April 6 as his condition worsened.
The next day, he was rushed to A&E, complaining of what he felt like was a heart attack. There, medics found he had a blood clot near his heart and, after a couple of nights in hospital, sent him home, armed with medication.
Two days later, on April 13, he collapsed and was rushed back to hospital, where doctors found that there was also blood clots in his legs.
This was when medics realised AstraZeneca's vaccine could be to blame. By April 19, he was struggling to speak, read and walk as blood clots had gone to his brain.
He was discharged from hospital on April 26. But just a few days later, Mr Miller collapsed again. His family called 999 and started CPR.
When paramedics arrived, they spent 45 minutes trying to resuscitate him. But Mr Miller was declared dead at the scene.
Despite him being diagnosed with vaccine-induced thrombosis, one of the major complications of AstraZeneca's jab, prior to his death, his autopsy ruled that he died of natural causes.
His wife, Kam Miller, 57, fought for a year to change the cause of death on the certificate, which now explicitly states the jab was to blame.
Stephen Ward, 57
Stephen Ward, 57
Stephen Ward died from a blood clot just 11 days after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.
His clot was confirmed to be caused by the jab.
The father-of-two, who had recently retired from the Co-op after working there for 40 years, received his first dose on March 12, 2021.
Around one week later, he developed a headache that saw him take himself to bed, where, within a couple of days, he developed a pins and needles sensation in his right arm, struggled to speak and was unable to walk.
His wife Sheila called for an ambulance, which took him to hospital, where doctors said he had a venous clot and a bleed in his brain.
Medics said they were treating the 57-year-old, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, for VITT.
Doctors proceeded with surgery after Mr Ward had seizures while in hospital and further scans revealed he had more bleeds on the brain.
But the procedure was unsuccessful — medics told Mr Ward's family that the damage to his brain was too severe for him to survive.
He died on March 23, 2021, with Sheila and his two sons, Joe and Sam, by his side. An inquest confirmed that Mr Ward's death was the 'result of medical vaccination'.
Adam Bounds, 41
Adam Bounds, 41
Father-of-one Adam Bounds, 41, died of a severe brain-bleed just 11 days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, an inquest heard.
Mr Bounds passed away at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth on May 31, 2021 after his Covid-19 vaccine caused a 'very rare' fatal side effect.
Dr Wayne Thomas, a consultant haematologist at Derriford Hospital, told Plymouth coroner that Mr Bounds's diagnosis was 'vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia' (VITT).
He said the diagnosis was 'very rare' with only 260 cases in the UK and when it causes bleeding around 70 to 75 percent of patients die.
The hospital was not aware of the diagnosis until 'after the event' because it is a test that has to be done in Bristol, Dr Thomas said. He added that discussions with experts in this field confirmed Mr Bounds had VITT.
When offered the opportunity to ask questions, Mr Bounds's father, Les, said his son would have had the vaccine 'anyway', adding that he had 'everything to live for'.
Senior coroner Ian Arrow said he would record a narrative conclusion stating that Mr Bounds had been vaccinated 11 days before his death against Covid 19.
He explained: 'On the balance of probabilities this created a vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia. That led to Adam having a low platelet count making him vulnerable to haemorrhage.
'He was given platelets but sadly succumbed to a haemorrhage.'
And here are stories from three Britons left with disabilities after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine:
Jamie Scott, 47
Jamie Scott, 47, with his wife Kate Scott
One of those seeking compensation for injuries linked to AstraZeneca's vaccine is father-of-two and IT engineer Jamie Scott, 47.
He was left with a permanent brain injury following a blood clot and the bleed on the brain after getting the vaccine in April 2021. He has been unable to work since.
His is one of 51 cases currently lodged in the High Court seeking damages estimated to be worth about £100million in total.
On the revelation, Kate Scott, Mr Scott’s wife, said: 'I hope their admission means we will be able to sort this out sooner rather than later.
'We need an apology, fair compensation for our family and other families who have been affected. We have the truth on our side, and we are not going to give up.'
Adrian Walker, 50
Adrian Walker, 50
Adrian Walker, 50, a former taxi driver from Grantham, Lincolnshire, said he was left disabled after receiving the AstraZeneca jab.
He went from being a marathon runner to being unable to walk to the shop at the end of his road.
Speaking to GB News in May 2022, he said: 'I just physically cannot walk and talk at the same time. It's debilitating. I did the right thing, had my vaccine, never expected to have any side effects.
'I was never warned of any severe, adverse reactions - just told to expect flu-like symptoms, a sore arm, take a couple of paracetamols and then you’ll be alright.’
Mr Walker has also been convinced that more sinister things have been going on.
He told the Mail: ‘My Facebook was censored. Articles about the vaccine disappeared. Emails I’d sent to AstraZeneca disappeared off my computer.’
Tony Hall, 63
Tony Hall, who ran his pharmacy business with wife Jane, had his jab towards the end of January 2021.
He was 58 and beginning to wind down the business so and he and Jane could travel, cycle, play golf and have more time to look after their aged mothers.
By the time he presented in A&E with a splitting headache and seizures, medical staff asked him whether he'd had Covid, or a Covid vaccination, in the past few days. 'They'd seen it all before,' he told the Daily Mail in February.
Tony had shockingly low platelet levels, a bleed on the brain, was put on a ventilator, had a craniotomy to relieve the pressure and spent six weeks in a coma. Jane was not allowed to visit for two months.
When she was finally allowed in, he had lost 20 kilos and spent a further four months, including his 60th birthday — in hospital and residential rehab.
He finally made it home in the autumn, only to be rushed back into hospital in July 2022 after another huge brain bleed, for another four months.
Today, the old fit, dynamic Tony is long gone. 'Now walking is a challenge,' he told the Mail. 'I need a stick. I can't drive, and I get very anxious and frustrated not being able to do the simplest things.'
Just dressing presents a huge challenge. 'I have to get things in the right sequence, or I'll put my shoes on before my trousers. I get very muddled'.
While he is still improving very slowly, their NHS physio entitlement ran out long ago, so now they pay £106 a week for a private session.
They have also had to sell their house, buy and adapt a bungalow, give up the business — and all their future retirement plans — and Jane has become his full-time carer.
RESPONSE FROM ASTRAZENECA
An AstraZeneca spokeswoman told MailOnline today: 'Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.
'From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.'