The widower of a BBC radio presenter who died due to complications from the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine plans to take legal action against the manufacturer.
Lisa Shaw, 44, who worked for BBC Radio Newcastle, died three weeks after receiving her first shot in May 2021.
Ms Shaw, a mother of one, was diagnosed with a blood clot and received treatment, including cutting away part of her skull to reduce the pressure, but it did not work and she died in May 2021.
A coroner concluded she “died due to complications of an AstraZeneca Covid vaccine” due to vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia in August of that year.
The condition results in swelling and bleeding in the brain.
Her husband, Gareth Eve, said he tried to engage with the government in the months and years after her death, but did not receive a response.
He is among a group of families who have lost relatives due to alleged side effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“It's not in my make-up to turn around and say I want to sue somebody but for almost two years we've tried to engage with the government and tried to engage with MPs since Lisa died and not one of them has reached out or engaged with us at all,” Mr Eve told the BBC.
“Any engagement is fleeting at best so that's the reason that we're left with no alternative — if the government or AstraZeneca don't want to engage with us then what else are we supposed to do?”
Lawyers for the group sent the company a letter in November in the first step of legal action by the 75 claimants. They include the family members of people who lost their lives, such as Mr Eve, as well as those who survived with injuries.
“We're not crackpots or conspiracy theorists, we're husbands and wives and family members who have lost somebody — that's all it is,” Mr Eve said.
“Whatever the money it's not going to bring my son's mam back.”
He said “too many people” had suffered injuries due to the vaccine.
“We're made to feel like it's a dirty secret, that we're talking about something we shouldn't be talking about,” Mr Eve said.
“It's established it's been caused by AstraZeneca's Covid vaccination — it's not about Covid, it's not about how many lives the Covid vaccination has saved, it's about what this vaccination has done to Lisa and other families and not about how successful it was or whether somebody is anti-vax.”
A solicitor representing the families has said damages are being pursued on the basis that the vaccine was a “defective product in that it was not as safe as consumers generally were reasonably entitled to expect”.
It comes weeks after a study found an elevated risk of cardiac-related death in young women who have received non-mRNA vaccines.
The risk of dying from heart issues was three and a half times higher among young women in the 12 weeks following a single dose of the non-mRNA type of Covid vaccine, the study conducted by the Office for National Statistics in England found.
AstraZeneca was the first vaccine to be approved in the UK in December 2020. However, it is no longer used and the government is not ordering any future supplies.
In April 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency confirmed a link between the vaccine and blood clots, but said the benefits continued to outweigh the risks for the vast majority of people.
Blood clots are listed as a “very rare” side effect.
Researchers from Cardiff University and Arizona State University said that could happen when the adenovirus contained in the vaccine binds to a type of protein in the blood, which triggers a chain reaction that results in the development of blood clots.
AstraZeneca told the BBC it was “unable to comment on ongoing legal matters”.
“Patient safety is our highest priority and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines. Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has reported health problems,” the pharmaceutical company said.
It said evidence from clinical trials and data showed the Covid vaccine had “an acceptable safety profile” and that the benefits “outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects”.
“More than 144 million Covid vaccines have been given in England, which has helped the country to live with Covid and saved thousands of lives,” the Department for Health and Social Care said.
“All vaccines being used in the UK have undergone robust clinical trials and have met the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's strict standards of safety, effectiveness and quality.”
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
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West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
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If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
