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15th October 2024
03:35pm BST
A man has said his life has been destroyed after suffering major health complications from the Covid booster.
Larry Lowe was a healthy 54-year-old who ran 10km most days when he decided to get the Pfizer Covid booster in December 2021.
However, within days he started had "lost all the feeling in my face, teeth, nose, tongue, eye, that whole side of my head."
The symptoms spread through his body and got worse, and doctors across the country said the booster jab was to blame.
He told the BBC doctors had said the vaccine "destroyed the nerve on the right side of my face, and it was highly unlikely that I would ever recover from it."
Doctors said Lowe's body had recognised the vaccine as a toxin, which had sparked a whole host of health issues for the Omagh man.
Medical officials agreed that "the onset of symptoms could be attributed to the Covid vaccine booster.”
Lowe was diagnosed with “painful trigeminal neuropathy” in April 2024, with a consultant neurologist concluding the Covid vaccine was "its main causative factor”.
He has also developed nerve pain affecting his entire body and dry eye syndrome, resulting in him having to wear sunglasses inside and out because of his sensitivity to light.
Whilst Lowe said he was not opposed to vaccines, he told the BBC the effects of the Covid booster had "destroyed" him.
"I struggle when I think about what another 10 years is going to do to me, because in the three years roughly that I've had this, it's destroyed me and it's getting worse," Lowe said.
He added that he had taken the vaccine in good faith, and feels like he has been "left to rot."
"I'm in so much pain, my life is barely worth living, except for my family," he said.
Lowe worked as a college lecturer, but has been forced to medically retire as a result of his health issues.
He said the chronic pain was making his life "barely worth living," and that it's "getting worse every day."
Lowe praised all the medical professionals he has seen for 'trying everything,' saying his GP was "fantastic," but all they could offer him was medication.
He explained he had opened up about his experience to help remove the stigma from Covid vaccine injuries.
Pfizer has said patient safety is paramount and it takes reports of adverse reactions very seriously.
It said hundreds of millions of doses had been administered globally "and the benefit-risk profile of the vaccine remains positive for all authorised indications and age groups".
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency (PHA) said the benefits of the vaccines in preventing Covid-19 and serious complications associated with the virus far outweighed any known side effects in the majority of patients.
There is widespread agreement across the medical world that the Covid vaccines are safe for the vast majority of people and played a key role in life returning to normal following the national lockdowns.
Professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Martin McKee, told the BBC the Covid death rate "fell markedly" once the vaccines were administered across the UK. She said all vaccines came with a risk of reactions and that reactions such as Lowe's were "exceedingly rare."
Studies have found the vaccine to be 'highly effective' against COVID-19-related hospital admissions.
Just like all vaccines and medicine, the Covid vaccines were subject to rigorous testing, and were only permitted for use in the UK after meeting strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
The vaccine and booster continue to be monitored for its safety, effectiveness, and rare adverse effects.
The most common side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine are:
In the vast majority of cases these symptoms are mild and will get better within a week.
You can find more information about the Covid-19 vaccine and boosters by visiting the NHS website here.
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