Adverse Reactions to Chinese Vaccines Leave Victims in Financial Difficulties

Qian Dalong, who had adverse reactions to COVID vaccination, holds a protest placard that says, “Cerebral infarction after CoronaVac,” in Beijing, China, on Dec. 28, 2022 (Qian Dalong/The Epoch Times)

Nearly 3.46 billion doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in China as of Dec. 19, 2022, which the authorities claim were all Chinese made. Following the recent surge of COVID-19 infections in China, the effectiveness of and adverse reactions to the vaccines are under a spotlight.

Two people who had adverse reactions told their stories to the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Dec 28. Both developed rare diseases, and claim to have been healthy prior to receiving the vaccines.

Both men said that the loss of mobility has left them financially stressed from huge medical bills and the cost of their children’s schooling.

However, medical specialists in China say the adverse reactions are unrelated the vaccines.

Cerebral Infarction

Qian Dalong, a Beijing resident, received a third dose of Sinovac vaccine on Oct. 28, 2021, and nine days later, became paralyzed. His diagnosis was a cerebral infarction (stroke).

He said he had days of aches and pains after the first two vaccinations; but after the third dose, besides the aches, he lost mobility.

The experts said his physical problem was coincidental to receiving the vaccination, in July 2022.

He refused to accept this simple conclusion.

Getting a second opinion from a medical association in Chaoyang District cost him 3,000 yuan (about $432.69).

Their opinion was that his stroke was “Irrelevant to the vaccination,” but a note attached to the opinion stated “One expert said the vaccine can’t be ruled out, but the other four believe it is irrelevant.”

Qian said he lost mobility of the entire right side of his body and has to rely on a wheelchair to walk more than a few steps. He could not use his right hand, could not hold a pair of chopsticks, and could not function independently.

He said that while he was hospitalized, a patient in the same ward also said they had a cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction after vaccination. The Epoch Times was unable to verify this other patient’s situation.

Qian’s wife received a third vaccination in October 2021. She experienced vertigo in the summer of 2022, and a CT scan suggested that she had a problem in her cerebral blood vessels.

“She used to be very healthy,” Qian said.

A child receives the COVID-19 vaccine at a school in Handan, in China's northern Hebei Province on Oct. 27, 2021, after the city began vaccinating children between the ages of 3 and 11. (AFP via Getty Images)

Financial Distress

Life has become very difficult for the Qians. They can’t afford the medical bills, and even buying food has become a problem.

“My unemployment benefit runs out in December,” Qian said, while his wife, a retiree, had to find a part-time job to cover their living costs, the medicines, and their child’s school fees.

“I trusted the government and the vaccines they recommended. Besides, without proof of vaccination, you can’t work, and the child can’t go to school,” Qian said.

But when the vaccines cause severe adverse reactions, no one cares. “They are deliberately lying, evading responsibility by exploiting the so-called expert opinions,” he said.

He filed complaints with various state agencies but has not received any help.

On Dec. 1, he was arrested along with three other people who suffered adverse reactions to vaccination when they shouted slogans outside the National Health and Medical Commission.

“I was released that day. The other three people, from Shanxi, Jiangxi, and Guangdong, were still in the detention center,” he said.

Life was good until he was vaccinated, he said, “If there was a way out, who would go on the path of rights defending?”

ALS

When Cao Yonghong, from Linfen, Shanxi, received a third dose of vaccine on March 12, 2022, his arm was sore for many days, and by April 15 his left hand became weak. Gradually, he was having a hard time talking and lost strength in both hands.

Specialists from county, city, and regional hospitals suspected he may have had a cerebral infarction, but an MRI, electrocardiogram, and chest X-ray, showed everything was normal.

Finally, one expert said he believed something was abnormal, but could not identify the problem.

Cao’s arm muscles started to twitch, but a medical examination didn’t indicate what was causing his symptoms.

In August, he went to Beijing Union Medical College Hospital for a series of tests, including gene analysis and blood tests. With all the tests and the symptoms he had, the experts said he likely had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), for which there is no cure other than medication to delay the progress of the disease.

He refused to give up looking for a diagnosis. He underwent a lumbar puncture to collect cerebrospinal fluid for testing at Peking University Third Hospital. Everything was normal.

The specialist had him do the electromyography (EMG) to test the muscle response to nerve stimulus, which finally confirmed that he had ALS.

Cao said hundreds of people have developed ALS after COVID vaccination.

The Epoch Times was unable to verify this statistic.

“I asked many other ALS patients, who said they developed ALS after receiving vaccinations. Each person’t initial symptoms were different, but in the end, it all comes down to weakness of the limbs, and then it’s tracheostomy [insertion of a breathing tube] and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy [insertion of a feeding tube into the abdomen].

“I have checked many references. ALS used to be common in the elderly, but now it’s common in young people. I asked many doctors, but none of them would acknowledge that it is related to vaccines,” he said.

People wait in line to receive the Sinopharm vaccine from China at a school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 30, 2021 as part of a government campaign to halt the increasing number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP)

Mandatory Vaccine Policy

Cao said that his family is struggling financially since he became ill.

He used to run his own business but the illness has stopped his ability to work. With a child still in school, his wife is now working to feed the family.

“I still have more than 10,000 yuan (about $1,449) of medical bills not reimbursed, the monthly medication is very expensive … I am only 45 years old,” he said.

A 28-day supply of imported medicine costs him 3,800 yuan (about $551) and drugs made in China cost 1,200 yuan (about $174).

He said that friends who worked at the local government were told to contact friends and family to get a quota of 10 to 20 people vaccinated.

The government made vaccination mandatory, he said, and eggs were handed out as a bonus to those who were vaccinated. “Schools demanded that parents must get vaccinated.” Now, with the adverse reactions, there’s nowhere to complain to, financially you are on your own.

Unvaccinated Recover Faster

Cao said that many people around him became infected during the resurgence of the virus even though they had been vaccinated.

Qian Dalong also told The Epoch Times that in this wave of COVID, those who have been vaccinated still get infected, and their symptoms are even worse than those who weren’t vaccinated.

He said, “One of my very good buddies did not dare to get vaccinated after he saw what I experienced. He tested positive [for COVID-19] this time but his fever was gone in just one day. His parents, who are in their 70s and 80s and are not vaccinated, recovered in three days. His wife, however, was vaccinated, and still suffers from fever.”

Qian said his relatives and friends had similar situations. Those who were not vaccinated got better quickly, but those who were vaccinated would take a week or even longer to recover.

Zhao Fenghua and Hong Ning contributed to this report.