Canada’s Fight Against Covid – The Folks We Left Behind on the Battlefield

Photo Credit - Allana Lavallee

Proportionally speaking twenty times as many Americans as Canadians died in the battle against #Covid19. As the US population is roughly ten times that of Canada, this amounted to 500,000 excess deaths among Americans. Each death was a loss that affected elderly parents and other relations.

What was the difference between the Canadian and American experience? The death rate of those who contracted the disease – approximately 1% - was the same in Canada as the United States. The difference was that proportionately twice as many Americans as Canadians were infected. The Initial vaccination rates of 80% were similar in both countries, so the difference in the infection rate may have been due to a healthier population, better access to health care, and better adherence to public health measures in a less concentrated population.

The fight against Covid 19 put the country on a war time footing. In Canada, for the most part, people “took orders”, made sacrifices, and pulled together to get through a profound challenge to our health and our economy. They stepped forward and were vaccinated for their own sake and the health of the nation. However, eventual victory wasn’t without its losses. Some 60,000 Canadians died in the battle and at least 3500 Canadians have filed claims by individuals damaged by the vaccines that saved so many others.

It is important to understand that, when we engaged in this national battle, we all made sacrifices and eventually got to the other side, but it is also important to know that we abandoned a good number of our “soldiers on the battlefield”. This is the story of one of these people and her family.

Clare, a 57-year-old healthy wife and mother of two lived with her husband who conducted his solo law practice in a mid-Ontario small town. Clare loved caring for a few horses on their small hobby farm. Throughout the year, Clare rose at dawn to feed the horses before her 45-minute drive to a job in a nearby community where she worked as a highly valued customer representative in a regional business. Their two adult children lived within an hour’s drive.

In March of 2020 Covid struck. While the pharmaceutical industry responded in record time, there was some concern that supplies of vaccine would be limited. Folks in rural communities worried that their needs wouldn’t be a high priority. Clare’s father was in long term care, so when the nearby Shopper’s Drug Mart announced availability, John and Clare were among the first to book an appointment and receive the #ASTRA Zeneca Vaccine. Clare received hers on the Thursday and John on the Friday. The Ford government pulled the #AZ Covid vaccine the following Monday.

Nine days later, Clare developed a severe headache and thinking it must be a seasonal allergy, went to bed early in the guest bedroom. John found her collapsed on the floor of the ensuite bathroom the next morning. Clare was rushed by ambulance to the regional hospital in Owen Sound and, from there, transported by air ambulance to London Health Science Centre.

It was immediately evident that Clare had experienced a massive stroke. Over the next ten days, tests confirmed that the stroke was the result of, #VITT (Vaccine Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia) in which a storm of blood clots showered her organs, interfering with blood supply to the brain, eye and liver. The result was that Clare was paralyzed on her right side, unable to speak, partially blinded and in imminent danger of dying from further complications. As she lingered, her children obtained special clearance to get into the hospital and say what they felt were their final goodbyes.

Through mercy, power of will, or more likely both, Clare pulled through and was eventually transferred back to Owen Sound Regional Hospital where she underwent seven weeks of rehabilitation at the adjoining stroke rehab unit. Ten weeks following her stroke, Clare was allowed to go home where neighbours had built a front door ramp and renovated the bathroom to accommodate a wheelchair.

Unable to talk, read or walk, let alone ever return to a job she cherished, Clare spent her days watching television or scrolling through the internet on her I-pad when she wasn’t undergoing rehab. The family had no in-house care, so husband John began to reduce his law practice, doing as much as possible from home until Clare was able to safely get about by herself.

Clare was prone to falls and seizures until medications brought those under control. This required John to be present, to prepare meals through the day, squeezing in office appointments when possible. In the following 5 years, John closed his practice and sold their beloved hobby farm

John and Clare now live in a ranch house in a neighbouring town. Clare continues with both physiotherapy and speech therapy and uses a “quad cane” deal with her right sided paralysis. However, the devastation to her brain’s speech centres have made progress on that front difficult.

As they had mandated the release of their vaccines before broad spread safety testing, the government granted pharmaceutical companies immunity from prosecution for damages arising from the use of their products. Accordingly, government set up a vaccine compensation program.

Sorting through the thousands of claims of vaccine related injury, the accounting firm eventually certified 252 individuals as having an injury that could clearly be attributed to having been vaccinated.

Most of the severe injuries were sustained by people who had been given the Astra Zeneca vaccine. Because of early concerns about the vaccine in the UK, the AZ vaccine had never been certified in the USA. Canada withdrew the vaccine the week following Clare’s first dose because of these concerns. When finally settled, Clare’s compensation from the government program amounted to $270,000.

Ontario has well-established principals guiding the courts in awarding damages arising from personal injury. These damages are based on monetary losses and general damages. Damages are awarded for loss of income based on the victim’s age and career path. A 57-year-old woman earning $70,000 per year might expect to receive approximately $490,000 [ less adjustment for available disability income and other considerations]. The additional general damages for a catastrophic injury are capped $470,000 in Ontario.

Beyond this, the costs of therapy, mobility aids, medications, and home renovations. The fact that her husband had to give up his professional practice to provide ongoing care could have increased total damages to the into the range of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000.

In the UK and Australia, plaintiffs have initiated class action lawsuits against the government to increase the damages awarded to this group of injured civilians. Despite being a lawyer, the national law firms John contacted had no interest in pursuing a class action suit to request compensation closer to the real losses sustained by the family.

There are many who claim ongoing health issues from the Covid vaccination program but there is no doubt that the vaccination program and public health measures saved countless lives, substantially more in Canada than in most countries. In most respects, Canadians can be proud of our performance in dealing with this once-in-a-hundred-year societal challenge. However, we should be deeply embarrassed by the small number of soldiers who stepped forward in our time of need and were left to languish on the battlefield. They expected and deserved better.