Woman Demands Better Training On AstraZeneca Vaccine Complications
Woman who lost her fiancé due to AstraZeneca vaccine complications calls for greater training of medical staff and update of compensation scheme.
Vikki Spit, whose fiancé died following the AstraZeneca vaccine has called upon the government to better educate medical staff on the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines and to re-work the outdated vaccine compensation scheme currently in place to something which better reflects the new COVID environment.
Zion, 48, from Alston, Cumbria, fell ill on May 13th, 2021, eight days after he received the AstraZeneca vaccine. According to his fiancée Vikki Spit, the paramedics who attended Zion, despite the window for a blood clot being 4 to 28 days post-vaccination, did not recognise that his headache symptoms could be linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Consequently, Zion did not receive the appropriate tests and treatment and later tragically died. His death certificate confirmed his death was due to a complication of the vaccine. When identified early, the treatment for vaccine related blood clots is up to 80% effective.
Vikki has instructed Hodge Jones & Allen to represent her in her fight for justice.
While Vikki remains ‘pro-vaccine’, she is calling for greater education of paramedics and other frontline medical staff to the risks and procedures surrounding blood clots following Covid-19 vaccines.
James Bell, a Partner in Medical Negligence at Hodge Jones & Allen said:
“The chances of people suffering side effects and fatal consequences from the Astra Zeneca vaccine are very small but potentially fatal. It is therefore imperative that healthcare workers are properly informed about appropriate procedures when a patient shows concerning symptoms within a month after vaccination. It is the duty of the government and the healthcare system at large to make sure all healthcare workers are aware of the classic symptoms. I question whether increased training has been properly considered as a key parallel to the roll-out. Although a very rare reaction to the vaccine, severe headache symptoms must not be dismissed without investigation.”
Vikki has lodged an application with the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, but to be eligible for the scheme, victims must show that they have become 60% disabled as a result of the vaccination – a threshold which is seen by many to be too high.
The scheme does also not apply to fatal outcomes unless it can be proven that the victim was 60% disabled before they died. In other words, if Vikki cannot prove that Zion was 60% disabled before he died, she will not receive compensation.
Alongside this, the maximum figure for compensation is £120,000. This figure was set at £10,000 in 1979, when legislation was passed, but has not kept pace with inflation – if it had, the value would be closer to £180,000. Regardless, the compensation falls far short of covering the loss of earnings of a person who dies in their 30s or 40s.
Vikki Spit has said:
“I am heartbroken to have lost my partner of 21 years so suddenly. Zion was not worried about COVID-19 as he was extremely healthy, but he was happy to get the vaccine as he was worried about spreading COVID-19 to others. I do not want to discourage vaccination, but I want to ensure that paramedics and frontline workers are educated about the risk so that people’s lives can be saved. If the blood clot had been spotted earlier, Zion would still be with me today.
“The £120,000 payment from the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme does not begin to cover the loss of earnings that a person in their forties would have made before they retired. There just isn’t the proper financial aid coming from the government to support those who have lost family to the vaccine.
“One example is a lady in her 40’s who died after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. She left behind a partner and 3 children. My situation is horrific, my life and future shattered; but I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be to be in her partner’s position with 3 children, one with disabilities. The compensation scheme is not fit for purpose. We are all trying to do the right thing, and it simply isn’t good enough that small numbers of us whose lives are left in pieces are not properly supported by the government who actively encourages us to get these vaccines.
“The DWP have acknowledged receipt of my application but have given me no indication as to when it will be dealt with. All they have said is that “it may take some time to investigate”.
Zion and Vikki Spit were both members of glam punk band SPiT LiKE THiS. Prior to his death, Zion was working as a writer and filmmaker, and his fiancée continues to work as a force-free horse trainer in Northumberland. Zion also donated his liver and kidneys and changed three lives after he had passed away.
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