B.C. man who had rare, extreme reaction to COVID-19 vaccine still waiting for exemption, government support

Ross Wightman can't help but feel isolated.

He's unable to walk like he used to, and his vaccine status means he can't even go out to watch his kids play sports. 

The father of two isn't against COVID-19 immunization — in fact, he's still recovering from his first shot.

Wightman was given a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in April 2021. Within days, he started to have excruciating back pain. Then came the tingles on the side of his face — and then, paralysis.

"It's been a roller coaster for me," he told CBC News from his home in Lake Country, B.C., just north of Kelowna.

"It hit me hard right away. I had the paralysis from the waist down, full facial paralysis. I had trouble chewing and swallowing."

Wightman was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare condition that affects the nervous system. It can cause paralysis, muscle weakness, and even death.

He spent two months in the hospital, and the condition has left Wightman unable to work as he tries to access slow-moving government support for vaccine injury.

He's also been unable to get a vaccine exemption, with health officers saying they can't prove his GBS was caused by the AstraZeneca shot — and advising him to get a second dose of a different COVID-19 vaccine. 

GBS diagnoses following a COVID-19 vaccination are extremely rare — about one in 700,000— according to data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and Health Canada.

There have been 10 reports of individuals hospitalized with GBS within 30 days of a COVID-19 vaccine since December 2020, all of whom have been discharged, according to the BCCDC. More than 10 million doses have been administered in B.C.

Of more than 76 million vaccine doses administered in Canada, about 0.01 per cent have had serious side effects, according to Health Canada. Most tend to be allergic reactions.

However, Health Canada says data indicates there have been higher rates of GBS in the general population since the introduction of the AstraZeneca vaccine, at 117 total events.

"It is known that rarely vaccines are associated with [GBS] as a very significant side-effect," said Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre.