GRANT District councillor Gavin Clarke is seeking information from Limestone Coast people who are suffering from severe illness after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.
He said he is hoping to gather data to take to the state and federal governments to open up discussions about the safety of the vaccine.
Mr Clarke took up the cause because he developed severe symptoms after having his first Covid vaccine nine months ago, including paralysing tension, neurological impairment, highly disturbed heart and chest sensations, body tremors and chronic tinnitus.
He said that since talking to community members, 12 people have told him that they too experienced a severe adverse reaction after receiving Covid vaccines, including fellow councillor Brad Mann.
He is now on the hunt to find other locals who believe they may have also been injured by the Covid vaccine, in order to collate personal stories into de-identified, local data which will be presented to relevant state and federal authorities.
“I have 12 people, but if I can get 30 or 40 out of the 30,000 here, those numbers become really compelling,” he said.
“Whenever I see a sign on a bus that says the vaccine is safe, I think ‘safe for who’?
“The community needs an answer, and we can’t keep sweeping it under the rug.”
He raised the issue of those with vaccine injuries to Premier Peter Malinauskas at the Country Cabinet meeting last week, but said the premier reaffirmed his support for the vaccine and for the science behind it.
Community members can contact him on gavin.clarke@dcgrant.sa.gov.au if they wish to be involved.
