Despite what some anti-vaxxers might say on Facebook, experts maintain that the benefits of taking the COVID-19 vaccine still outweigh the risks.

There is a small risk of very rare but serious adverse events that may occur post-vaccination, but this is also the case for all established vaccines and medications.

Given that most COVID-19 vaccine recipients have reported only mild side effects, you’d have to be pretty unlucky to suffer a serious reaction.

But that may have happened to one man from Hong Kong.

26 YO Suffers from Facial Paralysis After Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine; He Regrets Taking the Vaccine

After receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, a 26-year-old man fainted and was shocked to discover that much of his face was paralysed when he awoke in hospital.

Wilson Lam, a Hong Kong resident, now says he regrets taking the vaccine.

When making an online reservation for the vaccine, Lam said he had no preference for a particular brand and ended up choosing the Sinovac shot because it was administered in a community centre closer to his home.

“I saw there were lots of quotas online for the Sinovac jabs, and thought it would be fast to take the jab, so I booked for a time slot,” he told South China Morning Post.

On 24 March, Lam arrived at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre at around 2:30pm to receive his jab.

15 minutes after the inoculation, Lam felt dizzy and ended up fainting outside the centre at around 3:00pm. He was immediately brought to the hospital.

To his horror, Lam woke up to find much of his face paralysed.

“I could not close my left eye, while my mouth was crooked to the right-hand side, so I could only eat most things with my teeth on that side. The situation has not improved so far,” he said.

The swelling around his left eye has gone down but he still cannot close his eyelid. The 26-year-old said he still feels dizzy and experiences pains in his chest.

Despite his ordeal, Lam did not advise others against the shot.

“I consider myself an unlucky person,” he said. “If I can choose again, I would not take the vaccine. But I will not advise others whether to take it or not because this is their personal choice,” he said.

Bell’s Palsy

Lam is likely experiencing Bell’s Palsy, a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the face.

It can occur when the nerve that controls your facial muscles becomes inflamed, swollen, or compressed.

According to SCMP, 11 other people in Hong Kong have experienced Bell’s Palsy after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

10 of them took the Sinovac shot, while the other got the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Medical experts have not found a link between the 11 cases and the vaccines, however. As for Lam, the Hong Kong health authorities have not yet established a connection between the Sinovac shot and Lam’s facial paralysis.

Sinovac announced that its vaccine appeared to be safe, however, and could trigger immune responses in children and adolescents.

Wants Compensation From the Government

Despite this, Lam said he would seek compensation from the government.

“It would be best if the government could tell me why I have such consequences. It greatly affects my livelihood and I do not know when I can recover.”

The authorities have prepared for this, as they set up a HK$1 billion (US$128 million) indemnity fund to offer compensation to vaccine recipients who suffer from serious adverse reactions.

Most patients suffering from Bell’s palsy will have a full recovery even without treatment, so Lam’s ordeal may end soon.

Only time will tell.

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