Witness Testimony

Patricia Leidl testified that she received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in April and June 2021 in order to meet international travel requirements for prospective employment. She stated that the first dose was uneventful, but nine days after the second dose she experienced sudden onset of severe symptoms, including bilateral Achilles tendon pain, tachycardia, intense headaches, photophobia, respiratory difficulty, tremors, widespread edema, post-menopausal menstrual bleeding, and systemic pain. She described rapid weight gain from approximately 125 to 180 pounds due to swelling and reported repeated emergency visits where laboratory results were deemed normal and her symptoms were characterized as psychological.
Leidl testified that her condition progressed to include postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), bilateral tendonitis confirmed by ultrasound, chronic pain, cognitive impairment described as “brain fog,” vertigo, balance instability, gastrointestinal complications requiring gallbladder removal, episodic rash, and more recently hearing loss. She reported subsequent diagnoses of Addison’s disease and Ménière’s disease and stated that she now requires cortisone treatment and holds a disability parking permit. She indicated that she is unable to work and can walk only short distances compared to her previous routine of hiking 15–20 kilometres per day.
She further testified that attempts to file vaccine injury reports were delayed or resisted by physicians, that one internist attributed her condition to long COVID despite her statement that she had never contracted COVID-19, and that she experienced dismissal and humiliation when presenting to emergency departments. She described social isolation, emotional distress, and financial hardship resulting from her condition. In closing, she read a written statement expressing belief that vaccine-related harms were known but unacknowledged and called for accountability and redress.