Covid vaccine victim who lost the use of her hands after AstraZeneca jab was 'not disabled enough' for compensation

A Covid vaccine victim who lost the use of her hands after receiving a jab was refused compensation because she was not deemed disabled enough.

Marie-Claire Hoyle volunteered to take part in the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine trial in 2020 but just two weeks after her second jab, she developed a debilitating neurological condition.

The 44-year-old NHS nurse was diagnosed with transverse myelitis which caused agonising inflammation of the spine and left her unable to use her hands.

A world-wide shutdown of the trial followed while experts worked to understand the situation and Mrs Hoyle's case.

But after her condition improved, the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) ruled she would not receive compensation because she was not deemed to be 60 per cent disabled.

Now the mother-of-three is calling for a reform of the state compensation system for people who were injured by the vaccine jab.

She said that effects of the transverse myelitis were so severe, the parts of her body that went completely numb will never fully recover. 

Despite the extreme agony her condition caused, when Mrs Hoyle applied for compensation through the VDPS, she was refused.

'I lost the ability to use my hands, I couldn’t hold a pen, I couldn’t hold a toothbrush,' she told the Telegraph.

'I was completely numb from my collarbone down to my thigh level because the signals from my spine and brain had been damaged.'

Since developing the illness, Mrs Hoyle had an MRI scan which found her spinal cord was still damaged and won't heal.

She added that she still suffers from numbness across her chest and nerve pain down her arm that has not relented.

Calls for reform of the payment scheme were also published in Baroness Hallett's Covid-19 Inquiry last April.

The VDPS currently gives jab victims a one-off £120,000 payment if they can evidence they meet the 60 per cent disability threshold.

Lady Hallett is working to reduce that payment so that more people with less debilitating injuries can be compensated.

When her condition was at its worst, Mrs Hoyle was disabled enough for compensation, but when she applied she was told: 'You aren't now, so you don't need the payment.'

While working with infectious diseases at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Mrs Hoyle volunteered for the Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine trials, where she received two jabs in August 2020. 

Two weeks after her second dose, she was struck down with transverse myelitis which was subsequently listed as an extremely rare side effect of the vaccine. 

Mrs Hoyle separately applied to Oxford University for compensation and received a large five-figure sum after the case was settled out of court.

Despite this, she remains a strong believer in vaccinations and took her youngest son for his Covid jab in 2021.

She said: 'Vaccines are there for a reason, to help and protect people and to have been part of a trial that gave us a safe vaccine to be able to access is incredibly important and something that I’m really proud of.'

The NHS Business Services Authority which is responsible for the VDPS said individuals whose claims were refused could challenge and have their cases reassessed.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said: 'Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with Mrs Hoyle and all those who have suffered harm following vaccination.

'We are carefully considering the COVID-19 Inquiry's recommendations on reforming the scheme and will respond shortly.'

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