Witness Testimony

Carrie Sakamoto testified that she received an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in April 2021 and a Pfizer vaccine in June 2021 after AstraZeneca was withdrawn in Alberta. She reported developing flu-like symptoms immediately after the second dose, followed by worsening fever, severe headache, vomiting, and facial drooping approximately one week later. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, which she described as severe, involving facial paralysis, partial paralysis of her tongue and esophagus, difficulty swallowing requiring a feeding tube, and a 17-day hospital stay. She stated that multiple specialists evaluated her and informed her that the injury was related to the Pfizer vaccine.
Ms. Sakamoto testified that two years later she continues to experience persistent facial paralysis, throat paralysis, hearing loss requiring a hearing aid, vertigo, neurological symptoms, and memory difficulties. She reported that after discharge from hospital, she received phone calls from Alberta Health Services advising her that a booster dose was safe despite her ongoing injury. She stated that this advice was confusing given her condition and her physicians’ assessment that the vaccine had caused the damage.
She applied to the federal Vaccine Injury Support Program and, after approximately 20 months, was accepted and provided a lump-sum payment and ongoing medical coverage. She stated that the injury affected her independence and family life, leading her family to sell their farm and relocate. She also described difficulty obtaining mainstream media coverage of her case and turned to social media to share her experience and advocate for recognition of vaccine-related injuries.