Older brotherAfter receiving notice that he might lose the case, Gareth Eve and his family almost gave up trying to fight the legal battle with pharmaceutical “giant” AstraZeneca.
In May 2021, his wife Lisa Shaw passed away after receiving the company’s Covid-19 vaccine. Losing his wife, his life was completely turned upside down. The family decided to sue to receive compensation for damages. However, according to the Supreme Court, this request may not be approved, because at a time when the pandemic was spreading rapidly, the company issued a warning regarding rare side effects of the vaccine. Documents issued at vaccination centers state that “extremely rare cases of blood clotting and low platelets may occur following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine”.
Legal experts believe this may protect the company from accusations by families whose loved ones received the vaccine. Many families have made similar decisions to Mr. Eve. Currently, a total of 12 lawsuits have been withdrawn from the case. However, there are still more than 50 people continuing the fight with the pharmaceutical giant. These are vaccination cases before AstraZeneca released safety warning instructions for users (before April 7, 2021).
“It seems that the government and AstraZeneca have reached a technical agreement. In my opinion, we need to have a legal battle. But now, I can’t even do that anymore,” Eve said .
He said the pharmaceutical company was “evading responsibility” if it argued that it had included warnings in information leaflets and vaccination instructions.
“I understand some of the terminology in the published documents, because that’s what killed Lisa. But if I sat in a vaccination center, put in a room with dozens of other people, I wouldn’t know what are they talking about,” he said.
Gareth Eve (right) and his deceased wife. Image: Gareth Eve
He said if he does not withdraw from the lawsuit, he may not be covered by insurance and must compensate the pharmaceutical company, a fee that could reach hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The government is launching the Vaccine Injury Payment Scheme, compensating victims around £120,000. However, Mr. Eve believes that this amount is not enough. He called on ministers and pharmaceutical companies to “sit down and have a dialogue” with families like his.
“AstraZeneca and the government may not have a legal obligation to support us, but they have a moral responsibility,” he said.
Independent studies show that the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in tackling the pandemic, saving more than 6 million lives globally in the first year of deployment. The World Health Organization (WHO) says this vaccine is safe and effective for people 18 years and older. The dangerous side effects listed in the legal complaint are very rare.
The first lawsuit related to the incident was filed last year by Jamie Scott, a father of two. This person suffered permanent brain damage because he developed blood clots and brain hemorrhage after receiving the vaccine in April 2021. On April 9, his wife said they would both continue to fight to ensure every family gets justice.
Recently, AstraZeneca said it would recall its Covid-19 vaccine worldwide when user demand decreased, in the context of new generation vaccines becoming available. The company also voluntarily withdrew its marketing license for this vaccine in the European market.