A man has had his lower leg amputated after receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Construction worker Goran D., 50, suffered a pulmonary embolism and thrombosis in his right leg almost three weeks after he received his first jab in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on 19th February.
In the end, his leg could not be saved and had to be amputated below the knee, making him the 16th vaccine victim in Austria to apply for compensation from the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection under the Vaccination Damage Act.
The former construction worker of over 30 years told reporters: “I had never had problems, had never been sick, had never had to take any pills – until 13th March.
“On 10th March, I got a fever and went to see a general practitioner. He gave me medication and said it wasn’t bad.”
However, when his fever failed to subside, Goran visited a clinic. He said: “I spat blood once or twice. The doctors there said it was from the nasal swab and that I should go home again.”
However, the pain in his leg had become so severe by 13th March, that his wife had to call the emergency services.
The dad of three told reporters: “I’ve never felt such pain in my whole life. My leg was white, blue and black.”
The 50-year-old man was taken to the Favoriten Clinic where a scan revealed he had a pulmonary embolism and thrombosis.
He was then transferred to the Ottakring Clinic where doctors determined medical intervention unnecessary, so he was sent back to the Favoriten Clinic where he was operated on a few days later.
He was operated on twice more in the same week, with each operation lasting five to six hours. He even had to be put into an induced coma for the third operation.
Doctors then gave him the bad news that his lower leg would have to be amputated. The procedure was carried out in another hours-long operation.
Goran, who spent nine days in intensive care following the operation, told reporters: “I will never forget that pain when I woke up for the rest of my life.”
Doctors believe the pulmonary embolism and thrombosis he suffered were directly linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the Vienna Patients’ Ombudsperson has helped him apply for compensation under the Vaccination Damage Act.
The body is also looking into whether there was malpractice on the part of any of the health institutions involved that would entitle him to further compensation.
Not all 16 compensation applicants received the AstraZeneca vaccine, with at least one known victim, also from Vienna, developing a blood clot on the brain after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
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Story By: Georgina Jadikovska, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
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