Witness Testimony

Carole Avoine testified that she received a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on April 22, 2021, and approximately twenty days later developed facial paralysis diagnosed as Bell’s palsy. An electromyogram confirmed grade six paralysis, indicating severe nerve dysfunction. She reported associated symptoms including hearing loss in her left ear and inability to close her eye for several months. Two years later, her condition stabilized at grade three paralysis, requiring nightly eye taping, limiting speech and eating, and necessitating ongoing Botox injections
She stated that when she asked emergency and ENT physicians whether there could be a link between her vaccination and paralysis, both dismissed the possibility without providing detailed reasoning or documenting the concern in her medical file. She further reported a postmenopausal bleeding episode lasting two weeks despite no hormonal medication changes other than vaccination.
Avoine attempted to access Quebec’s public vaccine injury compensation program but was unable to proceed because it required a physician’s signature affirming a vaccine link, which doctors declined to provide. She independently submitted an adverse event report through AstraZeneca’s website, which generated a form sent to her physician. She ultimately declined a second vaccine dose and testified to ongoing challenges in obtaining formal recognition of her injury.