Husband, 57, died after taking Oxford University Covid jab

Stephen Ward was rushed to hospital 10 days after getting the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, his wife Sheila said.

The 57-year-old, from Staffordshire, had signs of a stroke including problems with his speech and limb weakness.

Mr Ward had developed a blood clot and medics battled to save his life, but the next day his family was told the bleed was too severe for him to survive and a decision was made to turn off his life support.

Mrs Ward had to wait for almost a year for a coroner to confirm that his death was a “result of complications of medical vaccination”.

Mrs Ward is a member of Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK (Vibuk).

The group has been calling for reform of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme – which currently sees eligible people given a one-off payment of £120,000.

Boris Johnson on a visit to see the Oxford jab during the pandemic when he was PM (Image: PA)

The calls have been echoed in the latest report from the pandemic probe, with Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett saying the scheme is “not sufficiently supportive” and requires “urgent reform”.

Lady Hallett said: “Tragically, a number of people suffered harm as a result of having a vaccine.”

She recommended that there is an increase to the minimum payment – which was last revised in 2007 – saying the current payment is “too low”.

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The payout should increase in line with inflation, the report says, which would mean it would now be in an “excess” of £200,000, and this should rise with inflation.

And Lady Hallett calls for a “fairer system” for determining payment.

In December 2020, the vaccine became the second Covid-19 jab to be approved for use in the UK and former prime minister Boris Johnson hailed it as a “triumph for British science”.

The AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab, also known as Vaxzevria, was withdrawn from the market in May 2024.

AstraZeneca said in a statement: “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems.

“Patient safety is our highest priority.

“From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.

“We are incredibly proud of the role the Oxford-AstraZeneca played in ending the global pandemic.

“According to independent estimates, over six million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and over three billion doses were supplied globally.

“Our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.”