Oswestry dad tells of heart clot horror after Covid-19 jab

Simon Walker was hospitalised less than a week after receiving his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at Gobowen’s hospital.

The 42-year-old had a resting heart rate of 188bpm, and was told he was at risk of a stroke or cardiac arrest, because of a blood clot that formed after his jab, and which several doctors have said was most likely vaccine-induced.

After 17 days in the critical care unit on the cardiac ward at Shrewsbury and then Telford hospitals, scans showed the clot had damaged Simon’s heart.

The incident has has been referred to the MHRA regulator’s Yellow Card scheme which highlights potential issues with medical products.

“I wasn’t allowed to move at all and I was kept in bed,” he said.

“It was really frustrating because at the time I didn’t understand what had happened.

“Not being able to see my three kids and my wife for 17 days other than by phone was really difficult.

“I was getting more and more bad news every day. I first was told I had a huge blood clot in my heart which could kill me, potentially, and probably should have considering the size of it.”

Simon had no history of heart problems and was living an active lifestyle as a football coach and a keen runner before his jab on May 2.

Now, however, his heart is operating at 20 per cent of its normal functioning level.

Doctors have worked to disperse the blood clot, but a layer remains around Simon’s heart which is not believed to be as dangerous.

Some movement has returned, and cardiologists hope this shows his heart function has improved to 30 per cent.

He is now being advised to keep his heart rate below 100bpm and to only walk slowly.

Simon and his wife Sian now want more support for people who have been affected by the vaccine, and have spoken to others in similar situations.

“I think there’s around 400 cases that we know of and that’s increasing every day,” Simon, who is a carpet fitter, added.

“I can’t do my job which I love and I coach football which was one of my huge passions.

“That has also had to stop now which is heartbreaking. It’s affecting everything – my income will drop over time as I can’t continue taking full wages when I don’t particularly do anything.”

The couple are pushing for the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 to be reformed. There is a petition calling for the reform which can be signed at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587380

“I want people like me to be connected and know about each other, and I would like that transparency from those who are distributing the vaccine,” Simon said.

“I feel that I’ve been put to the side because of the greater good, which is helping the country, but there is the very small percentage of us that are just being left with an apology but nothing more.

“An apology won’t help me pay my bills or get the best clinical care – not just for me, but everyone affected.”

Despite their problems, the couple insist that they support the vaccine roll-out – but want more information to be available for people who are negatively impacted.

Simon said: “I’m not anti-vaccine – I would 100 per cent encourage people to go for it because I think it’s the only way we can come out of the Covid situation.

“My parents have had it, my in-laws and wife have had it and it’s protecting them.

“I’m just very unlucky to be one of the people who it has affected like this – it has probably changed my life forever now.”

Sian added: “There is a lot of propaganda about this vaccine – they’re not making you get it, but it’s almost like you’re being pushed towards it.

“You go to the shop and there’s posters now, it’s all over social media and news is coming out that you can only go on holiday if you’ve had both vaccines.

“Having both vaccines isn’t an option for Simon – there’s no package in place when they’re rolling out this vaccine for people like us.

“We want the act to help people affected.”

Dr June Raine, chief executive vaccines regulator the MHRA, said: “Our approved Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Over 82m doses of vaccines against Covid-19 have now been administered in the UK, saving thousands of lives through the biggest vaccination programme that has ever taken place in this country.

“No effective medicine or vaccine is without risk. Our advice remains that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks in the majority of people. It is still vitally important that people come forward for their vaccination and for their second dose when invited to do so.

“We ask anyone who suspects they have experienced a side effect linked with their Covid-19 vaccine to report it to the Coronavirus Yellow Card website.”