BC man approved for payout after COVID-19 vaccine led to rare nerve disorder

A BC man is among the first in Canada to receive a payout from the Vaccine Injury Support Program after developing Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Shortly after receiving his first dose of the Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Ross Wightman was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare condition that can cause muscle weakness, paralysis, and even death via its assault on the body's nervous system.

Just over a year later, Wightman has become one of the first people in Canada to receive a payout from the Vaccine Injury Support Program after an investigation found that the vaccine was likely to blame for his condition.

Wightman shared a copy of the letter he received on social media.

"Following an assessment of your case," it reads, "it has been determined by our Medical Review Board that there is a probable causal association between the injury(ies) sustained and the vaccination."

Wightman, a former pilot, is entitled to compensation, however as CBC reports, he says money will do little to fix the "physical, emotional and financial toll" he's faced as a result of the diagnosis.

Having Guillain-Barre Syndrome turned Wightman's life upside down, reducing his mobility and prohibiting him from doing the things he loves. "Every day is a grind," he told CBC.

Wightman voiced his frustrations on Facebook.

"As many of you know I have been one of the first, if not the first person in Canada to have a letter of confirmation regarding my Astra Zeneca vaccine and GBS," Wightman wrote on Facebook.

He noted that since coming out with his story, many others have contacted him describing similar situations.

"The longer this goes on," he continued, "the more angry, and completely disheartened I get by the lack of recognition from government officials and doctors that these things are actually happening."

Prior to the pandemic, Canada was the only G7 country without a vaccine injury compensation program, however with the onset of COVID-19, one was set up.