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More Documented Cases of COVID Vaccine Injuries in
Canadian Military Than COVID Hospitalizations
Military notes decrease in hospitalization following vaccination, while lawyer
concerned that vaccine injuries outnumber COVID-19 hospitalizations
By Noé Chartier
November 11, 2022
The Epoch Times
Figures provided by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to The Epoch Times show that the military has registered 324 adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination, with 23 deemed serious. The total number of hospitalizations in the forces due to COVID-19 itself is 16.
According to CAF, a total of 192,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to military members, with 324 cases of reported “adverse events following immunization” (AEFI).
Out of those, CAF deemed 23 were AEFI of special interest (AESI) which were reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) since the start of the vaccination campaign in January 2021, CAF spokesperson Alicia Gagnon said in an email.
“Seven were anaphylaxis-like in nature; nine were suspected pericarditis/myocarditis; three were Bell’s Palsy, and one shared features with Guillain-Barre syndrome,” said Gagnon.
“Examples of other serious reported AEFI included one pulmonary embolism, one deep vein thrombosis, and one myelitis/transverse myelitis.”
Gagnon added there have been no deaths from COVID-19 vaccination.
The CAF eased its vaccine mandate in October, but has maintained it for operational roles. A memo obtained by The Epoch Times in November indicated that the Royal Canadian Navy intends to mandate boosters for sailors posted at sea.
As of the end of September, 96 percent of CAF members had received the first two doses and approximately 67 percent had received at least three doses, Department of National Defence (DND) spokesperson Jessica Lamirande told The Epoch Times.
COVID-19 Hospitalization
The total number of armed force members who have been hospitalized from the COVID-19 disease itself is 16, the CAF says.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic up to this date, the CAF health system has tracked that 16 CAF members were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and none have died from COVID-19,” says Lamirande.
These numbers include members from both the Regular Force and the Reserve Force, and also deployed personnel.
“Of the 16 hospitalizations, only 3 have occurred since July 2021, the point at which most CAF members would have had opportunity to receive a complete primary series of COVID-19 vaccine,” Lamirande added.
The 13 cases of hospitalization since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 up to July 2021 are lower than 23, the number of serious vaccine injury incidents acknowledged by the military since around July 2021 up to the present.
Further analysis would need to take into account a number of factors, such as increased infection and hospitalization in the general population during different waves of the disease including after July 2021, as well as the role of natural immunity and age and health conditions of military members.
DND spokesperson Derek Abma said the department could not provide information on the age of the individuals hospitalized and whether they had pre-existing medical conditions, due to privacy reasons.
Age and pre-existing conditions are the two main risk factors for COVID-19. CAF demographics are mostly young individuals and in good health.
‘Outnumber’
Lawyer Catherine Christensen of Valour Law, a firm specializing in cases involving the CAF, told The Epoch Times she has limited visibility on the vaccine injured due to the CAF “deliberately” preventing this reporting or assigning other diagnoses to the injuries.
“I do know that the vaccine injured seem to outnumber, by a large margin, serious illness from COVID in the CAF,” Christensen says.
“Vaccine injuries have been life-changing for those affected.”
Christensen says the vaccine mandate has not only injured “hundreds” of members but also caused “chaos in the lives of thousands,” when severe COVID illness led to hospitalization for only a few members.
Veterans Affairs Canada won’t provide compensation for vaccine injuries even though the injections were mandated, she says, noting that she’s currently working on a lawsuit on that issue.
‘No One Wants to Admit It’
The Epoch Times spoke with several current or recently retired CAF members who say they suffered from adverse events following vaccination, or who were aware of the issue being discussed in the ranks.
One veteran who says he was in top shape was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a disorder where the immune system attacks nerve cells.
The symptoms started appearing shortly after he received his second mRNA shot, he says. He consulted with several physicians before a military doctor realized he could be suffering from Guillain-Barré.
The veteran says he spent weeks hospitalized and completely paralyzed but no physician would say his condition was caused by the vaccine.
The Epoch Times saw a letter from his current doctor saying the syndrome was likely caused by vaccination due to temporal linkage.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a known side effect of COVID-19 vaccination. Health Canada on its website links it to COVID-19 viral vector vaccines but not mRNA ones.
Ross Wightman, one of the first Canadians to receive a payout from Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program, suffered from Guillain-Barré after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
An active duty soldier speaking on the condition of anonymity told this publication he developed a 5-centimetre tumour on his thyroid gland within two months after receiving the vaccine. The tumour had to be removed, along with half of his thyroid.
The Epoch Times was provided pictures documenting the tumour and the aftermath of the surgery.
He says military doctors did not acknowledge the vaccine could have caused it. “No one wants to admit it. [They] just would rather avoid it.”
Studies have indicated that COVID-19 vaccination has caused rare cases of thyroid dysfunction or disease.
One such study, published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation in March 2022, says that among 83 reported cases, the most cases of thyroid abnormalities were observed after vaccination with mRNA-based vaccines (68.7 percent), followed by viral vector vaccines (15.7 percent) and inactivated vaccines (14.5 percent).
Eight types of dysfunctions were documented, including subacute thyroiditis and Grave’s disease.
Another active duty soldier who wishes to have his identity protected told The Epoch Times he was “top-tier” in physical fitness before receiving the injections, yet after getting the shots he developed a number of debilitating issues including symptoms of loss of motor strength, neuropathy radiating from the injection site, and significant cardiovascular health complications.
The CAF “reluctantly” acknowledged some of these issues could have been attributed to the vaccination due to a temporal linkage, he said. He was placed on a temporary medical category that prevents him from flying due to heart issues and from undergoing physical exertion.
The soldier says the CAF did not react properly to his injuries and did not report them adequately to PHAC. The Epoch Times saw the soldier’s medical record.
One retired air force pilot said that while active he was aware of 28 pilots or crew members who had been grounded due to medical conditions, whereas the norm was 4 per year.
“I sat in the brief, when it was reported from the squadrons, of the huge increase of PCATs [permanent medical categories]. No one said why,” said the retired pilot, whose identity is being protected to prevent impact on his current career.
Permanent medical conditions would imply they were likely not the result of the COVID-19 disease itself, which typically would be temporary.
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