Witness Testimony

Krista Hamilton testified that she received two COVID-19 vaccinations to maintain her employment after her request for a medical exemption based on allergies and asthma was denied. Following her second dose, she developed chest pain, difficulty inhaling, limited torso movement, and severe discomfort that led to emergency room visits. Initial assessments were inconclusive. After a second episode several weeks later, imaging revealed lung nodules and she was subsequently diagnosed with sarcoidosis. She reported persistent shortness of breath, fatigue, intermittent sharp chest pain, and eye inflammation lasting several months, with no physician formally linking her condition to vaccination.
Hamilton further testified that her 21-year-old son was hospitalized for one week in Halifax after receiving his second Moderna vaccine dose and was diagnosed with myocarditis. She stated that medical staff acknowledged the condition was related to vaccination and prescribed a three-month course of colchicine. She was unsure whether he received guidance regarding compensation reporting.
She also described the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on her father’s death in a Nova Scotia nursing home in December 2020. Although her brother was permitted a brief visit after special approval, he was barred from returning due to quarantine requirements despite their father living another six days. Hamilton stated that she believes individuals should retain choice regarding vaccination and that immediate family members should have unrestricted access to loved ones during end-of-life care.