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Although the number is negligible, it cannot be denied that there are people who have developed severe complaints after the vaccinations against COVID-19.
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The epidemic of coronavirus (COVID-19) 32575
Exactly two years ago, Sasha Schwartz rushed to get vaccinated in order to get a piece of freedom back.
The 30-year-old German is healthy - in good sports shape and always in a great mood.
But this situation is changing after the AstraZeneca vaccination.
"Never before have I felt so lost and helpless as I have in the last two years. I feel like a prisoner in my own body," says Sasha.
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Everything started on the day of the vaccination as a headache, high fever and dizziness, but then Sasha's complaints increased.
In the past two years, he has already listed 96 new symptoms, the worst of which is called "clouded consciousness."
Sasha can't even pick up a book and feels drained of life force.
Two months after the first vaccination, Sasha Schwartz goes to get a second vaccine, this time BioNTech - in the hope that things will improve.
However, the opposite happens.
He is forced to stay in bed for weeks, then they give him sick leave.
"It took me two whole years until I found an immunologist who would take my complaints seriously. Before, I was always told that it was psychosomatics, that vaccines are safe," claims the young man.
He is one of the few, but still existing cases of victims of the vaccines against Covid-19.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute, which is responsible for vaccines and biomedical preparations, reported the relevant data: a total of about 333,000 reports of side effects from vaccinations and about 50,000 of suspected severe side effects were received.
This means that suspicious effects occurred in about 1 to 2 out of every thousand doses of vaccine – in other words, a negligibly low rate.
That the percentage is nil does not help the injured Sasha Schwartz.
The University Clinic in Marburg established that the patient had developed hyperinflammation of the immune system, that is, his complaints were not psychosomatic.
To this day, however, there is no cure.
Sasha says that at times his mind is really clouded: "And in the worst phases I just lie in bed and look at the ceiling".
But Sasha Schwartz does not give up.
Recently, he became the initiator of a self-help group, which has already included 70 people with similar fates.
However, they also complain about something else: their suffering is met with suspicion.
"When we speak publicly, a wave of hostile responses often follows. Some write: 'It's your own fault, you didn't get vaccinated!' Others accuse us that all this was not true. It's terrifying".
Sasha Schwartz's sick leave will expire at any moment, and in the future the young man will have to live on unemployment benefits.
He has accumulated 4,000 euros in debt.
The complex blood washing recommended by the doctors will cost him 15,000 euros, but the health fund also says no.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is taking measures to more quickly recognize cases in which the coronavirus or vaccines have caused permanent damage - and to support such patients accordingly.
The Ministry is developing a program to provide assistance in such cases.
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Those patients who do not want to trust this program will probably turn to lawyers like Tobias Ulbrich.
His law firm has already represented 750 people who claim to have been harmed by the vaccines, and 130 lawsuits have been filed against the companies BioNTech and Moderna.
The lawyer claims that the German government has not sufficiently informed the country's citizens about the possible side effects of vaccines.
He recalls that the Minister of Health believed for a long time that vaccines did not cause any side effects.
The first trial is already underway: a 57-year-old woman claims that the vaccine caused her heart problems.
And attorney Ulrich's phone doesn't stop ringing - his team has already conducted over 3,000 initial consultations.
The lawyer explains that the civil claims are against the companies producing the vaccines, but in the end the state has guaranteed the safety of the preparations, so it is likely that it will pay.
This is stated in the relevant contract signed with the European Commission, writes DW.
The lawyer is confident that his clients will receive the appropriate benefits and will be able to cover the incurred medical expenses.
What exactly such patients need is explained by Dr. Jordis Fromhold, Germany's best specialist in the diseases we call "long Covid" or "post Covid".
She has already treated thousands of people, some of whom complain precisely about the side effects of vaccines.
Dr. Fromhold says, "People who experience the side effects of vaccines are often unfairly accused of being almost conspiracy theorists. They don't take them seriously."
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The epidemic of coronavirus (COVID-19)
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