A 43-year-old woman claims she was left unable to speak after receiving the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Sofia Gomes, from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, thinks she had ‘a severe allergic reaction’ that prevented her from talking a few hours after getting the jab on May 19.
Doctors at King’s Lynn Hospital in Norfolk, where she went after developing the strange reaction, were ‘baffled’ after performing scans on her throat and not finding anything wrong, she said.
She stayed at the hospital for a week and was seen by several specialist who could not explain her condition, but said it may have been caused by the vaccine, according to Ms Gomes.
But a Edinburgh university professor said her loss of voice was likely a coincidence.
The UK drug regulator the MHRA said there was ‘no evidence’ Ms Gomes losing her voice was linked to the vaccine.
She was told her voice will return and is waiting for speech therapy through the NHS.
Common side effects from the jab include a sore arm where the vaccine was injected, headaches, muscle pain and tiredness. The jab has also been linked with low platelet levels and an extremely small risk of blood clots.
The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) states that anyone having difficulty with speech from around four days after AstraZeneca should seek urgent medical advice.
On this case a spokesperson said loss of voice is not a known side effect of the Oxford jab and there is ‘no evidence to suggest such reports are linked to vaccination’.
Reports of a suspected reaction to a vaccine does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the vaccine, as underlying or previously undiagnosed illnesses could be a factor, they said.
Known side effects of the Covid vaccines
The most common side effects of the Covid vaccines are a sore arm from the jab, tiredness, headaches, aches, a fever and being sick.
These symptoms tend to appear one to two days after having the vaccine.
The NHS advises managing these reactions with paracetamol if needed.
Serious allergic reactions are rare and usually occur within minutes of having the jab.
The vaccines can help stop people from getting ill or dying from Covid-19, so the benefits of the jab outweigh any risks.
The MHRA and researchers are continuing to examine links between the Oxford-AstraZeneca and very rare blood clots.
Ms Gomes, an artist from Portugal, does not have any underlying health problem and wrote that she felt ‘really frustrated, upset, and frightened for the future’.
The reaction has stopped her being able to speak to her fiancé and six children, who are aged between on and 19.
