Our colleagues from RTL met with a young woman who suffered an inflammation of the heart muscle after getting vaccinated against Covid-19 to talk about her life after the adverse reaction.
Doctors see a connection between the Covid-19 vaccines and cases of myocarditis. The young woman interviewed by RTL, who wants to remain nameless, is now forced to take eleven different medications on a daily basis. These include blood thinners and pills for heart, kidneys, lungs, and blood pressure.
Myocarditis has made everyday tasks, such as walking up stairs or taking out the trash, extremely difficult and tiring for her. Though rare, inflammations of the heart muscle are known to be a potential adverse reaction to the Covid vaccines.
Our interviewee displayed the first symptoms mere hours after getting her second Pfizer/BioNTech jab in July 2021. The then 26-year-old felt her state of health deteriorate constantly over the days that followed.
"My heart was beating, but in very weak manner. My lungs were full of water. I wasn't able to breathe."
Wanting to be a 'good citizen'
At the time, our interviewee was transferred to the university hospital in Strasbourg. She relapsed several times and spent at least five out of 20 months inside the hospital. An eventual biopsy of the heart muscle confirmed doctors' suspicion of a link between the myocarditis and the Covid vaccination.
"I wanted to be a good citizen by getting the Covid-19 vaccine and it destroyed my life", she stated.
Reparations
Since the government issued a recommendation for the provisionally authorised vaccine, it carries responsibility for potential damages. A law dating back to 4 July 2000 regulates that people suffering from permanent vaccine damages are entitled to request compensation from the Health Directorate.
Eight people have done so by the beginning of April. The procedure is said to be lengthy as each case is treated individually, notes Minister of Health Paulette Lenert.
Our interviewee filed a request with help from the Patient Representation Association in August 2022. A first reaction to the request from the Health Directorate only came upon enquiry in November that year.
Michèle Wennmacher, director of the Patient Representation Association, criticises a lack of transparency, for instance on the Covid website: "It should be easy for patients to research and find this information. ... If there is no transparency, people start asking questions of course. Naturally they say 'are they trying to hide something? Do they not want to help us? What is behind this?'"
Waiting for a response
Our interviewee has been waiting for a response since a first meeting with the Health Directorate at the beginning of December last year. Her doctor already told her that her heart will never again be the way that it was.
She was unable to start a new job in autumn 2021 and has since been living with her parents, who also cover her insurance. "I can't see my future anymore. I don't see what I can do in the future... except stay at home."
