A mother who had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Covid jab says she is dismayed that no MHK has picked up her Tynwald Day petition on vaccine injury.

Nikola Brindley spoke out after it emerged there have been no fewer than 1,095 suspected adverse drug reaction reports associated with the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in the Isle of Man.

But the UK vaccine watchdog said that a reported reaction does not necessarily mean it was caused by the vaccine, only that someone suspected a possible link.

Nikola had been a physically fit and healthy dental nurse and receptionist until she had her first dose of Astra Zeneca in July 2021.

She now says she suffers from multiple chronical health issues including abdominal cramps, joint problems, breathlessness, swollen lymph nodes, rib pain, repeated flu-like symptoms, overwhelming fatigue and often relies on a wheelchair.

Nikola, who helps run a vaccine injury support group, submitted a Tynwald Day petition in 2023 calling for an independent inquiry into the safety of Covid-19 vaccination.

It was ruled in order, but no MHK has since picked it up.

She said: ‘We wrote to multiple MHKs on it and have had little or no response or willingness to even take it.’

A petition for redress of grievance must be tabled for debate in Tynwald within five years or is deemed to have lapsed.

Nikola said her medical records state that she was injured and disabled from a Covid vaccine but despite this she has been refused a pay out under the NHS’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

‘My symptoms are still as severe as ever - it's affected pretty much my whole body,’ she said.

Ms Brindley says she felt under pressure to receive the Covid jab.

She said: ‘I think more needs to be done on things like informed consent and having the right to make your own medical decision. The public should be informed more in order to weigh up the risks.

‘I would like to see more of an openness to conversation on the subject, and more acknowledgement and support in place for those affected on the island.’

Figures released under Freedom of Information reveal that a total of 1,095 spontaneous suspected adverse drug reaction reports were received for Covid-19 vaccines from the Isle of Man up to July 15 this year.

Of these 1,095 ‘Yellow Card’ reports, 837 were reported as serious and six were reported with a fatal outcome.

Updated figures were released by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in response to a FoI request from Natalie Birchall who presented the Tynwald Day petition alongside Nikola and Stephen Wotton, who is convinced his mother died from the vaccine.

Natalie said: ‘The petition is as valid today as it was when it was presented, just with much more data in support.

‘No MHK has agreed to take it forward. Most didn’t respond at all according to others in the group, and those who did said there weren’t enough people interested.’

The Yellow Card scheme is a reporting programme run by the MHRA which it uses to monitor the safety of vaccines. Members of the public and healthcare professionals have used it to report incidents of harmful side effects to the Covid-19 jab.

Serious adverse events reported included blood clots, blindness, strokes and heart attack.

One of the six fatalities with an Isle of Man postcode is listed as a sudden death. Other fatalities were reported to have followed a heart attack, angina chest pains, dissection and rupture of the aorta and in two cases a stroke.

The most common reported adverse reactions were nausea, fatigue, headaches, chills and fever.

In its FoI response the MHRA pointed out that a reported reaction does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the vaccine, only that the individual who reported it had a suspicion it may have.

Some events may have happened anyway, regardless of vaccination - and this is particularly the case when millions of people, many of them elderly and with underlying illness, are vaccinated.

The MHRA said: ‘The fact that symptoms or events occur after use of a product, and are reported via the Yellow Card scheme, does not in itself mean that they are proven to have been caused by the product. Underlying or concurrent illnesses may be responsible and such events can also be coincidental.’

All adverse reaction reports received by the Yellow Card scheme are individually assessed and cumulative information reviewed at regular intervals, said the MHRA. If appropriate, regulatory action would be taken if any serious risks were confirmed, it added.

Three Covid-19 vaccines - Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna - were used in the island’s primary and booster vaccination campaigns.

There were 142 Covid deaths in the island up to the end of October 2023 - 89 of those during the main pandemic period, according to the independent Covid review published in January last year.

The MHRA says vaccines are the single the most effective way to protect people from Covid and have saved tens of thousands of lives in the British Isles, the benefits far outweighing any currently known side effects in the majority of patients.

The vaccine injuries group can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/iomcvi/

* Manx Care has been inviting people to share their experiences of Covid-19 vaccine injury at a series of community listening events.

The next ‘In Your Shoes’ event takes place tonight (Thursday) at Keyll Darree on the Noble’s Hospital site from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Then on Thursday next week (October 23) it will be held at the Western Wellbeing Centre in Peel from 6.15pm to 7.45pm.

The events last about 90 minutes, and involve service users, carers, families and staff, discussing experiences in groups.

Spaces are limited, so booking is encouraged. To reserve a place, contact MCALS on 642642 or email [email protected]

If you are unable attend and would like to receive questions via a survey, contact [email protected]