A former Bachelor contestant claims she suffered a ‘heart attack’ as a side effect of receiving her first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
Monique Morley, 29, shared her experience in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, after being hospitalised in Sydney several weeks ago.
She insisted vaccine-related heart complications ‘are not rare anymore’, despite medical doctors saying her symptoms are unrelated to the shot.
Former Bachelor contestant Monique Morley (pictured) claims she suffered a ‘heart attack’ as a side effect of receiving her first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine
‘I’m sharing my story hoping to help others not feel so alone, to bring awareness that this is real. It does happen. It’s not rare anymore,’ the lingerie designer said.
She claims that 15 minutes after getting her vaccine she began to ‘fit uncontrollably’ for 45 minutes, but her doctor said her symptoms weren’t caused by the jab.
Ms Morley, who says she has no history of seizures, agreed to ‘go home and rest’.
She had another fit the next day, and called an ambulance after experiencing symptoms including lockjaw, clammy hands, heart palpitations and blurred vision.
Monique Morley, 29, shared her experience in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, after being hospitalised in Sydney several weeks ago
Ms Morley said the ambulance workers who arrived at her home once again told her the symptoms were unrelated to the Pfizer vaccine, and that she continued to experience chest pain and shortness of breath.
She then allegedly woke up the next day at 4.30am having ‘a heart attack’.
She was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac-like tissue that surrounds the heart, which holds it in place and helps it function.
The lingerie designer claims that 15 minutes after getting her vaccine she began to ‘fit uncontrollably’ for 45 minutes, but her doctor said her symptoms weren’t caused by the jab
After her diagnosis, doctors supposedly told Ms Morley there was nothing she could do except ‘rest and take Panadol’.
‘It’s just so defeating having everyone tell you that it’s not related [to the vaccine] when really it is’, she added, describing the experience as ‘traumatic’.
Ms Morley said she hopes her story inspires people to have an open mind when it comes to vaccine side effects.
One of her Instagram followers asked if she had any preexisting health conditions that could have caused the pericarditis.
She replied: ‘Absolutely nothing. Don’t smoke. Don’t drink. Don’t take drugs. Don’t even have caffeine.’
Ms Morley accompanied the post with a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed ‘shortly after getting her first Pfizer shot’.
She contrasted this with another photo, taken a week before she received the vaccine, of herself posing in a swimsuit.
In other recent social media posts, she claims she is recovering thanks to naturopathic care and IV vitamin drips.
These aren’t medically recommended treatments for pericarditis.
In the last 24 hours, Ms Morley’s account of her suspected side effect has become a flashpoint for anti-vaxxers, who grossly exaggerate the number of adverse reactions to the vaccine.
Ms Morley, who says she has no history of seizures, agreed to ‘go home and rest’. She claims she had another fit the next day, and decided to call an ambulance after experiencing symptoms including lockjaw, clammy hands, heart palpitations and blurred vision
Pericarditis – inflammation of the outer lining of the heart – and myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle – have been observed in an extremely small number of people after receiving mRNA vaccines, of which Pfizer is one.
The cases were disproportionately teenagers and men under the age of 30 after their second dose of the jab.
British data released in August found the rate of pericarditis was 3.8 cases per one million doses of the Pfizer shot – a rate of one in 263,157.
By July 8, the TGA was notified of 50 cases of pericarditis in Australia as a result of 3.2 million Pfizer doses.
The risk of suffering a heart condition as a result of Covid-19 is much higher.
Ms Morley (pictured on The Bachelor in 2019) said the ambulance workers who arrived at her home once again told her the symptoms were unrelated to the Pfizer vaccine, and that she continued to experience chest pain and shortness of breath
One of her Instagram followers asked if she had any preexisting health conditions that could have caused the pericarditis. She replied: ‘Absolutely nothing. Don’t smoke. Don’t drink. Don’t take drugs. Don’t even have caffeine’
Morley previously spoke about her pericarditis diagnosis earlier this month, but did not share specific details about her symptoms until Wednesday.
In her earlier Instagram post, she made it clear she was ‘not anti-vax or pro-vax’ and insisted she was ‘open-minded’ and ‘pro personal choice, whatever that may be’.
‘I’m pro being kind and considerate, and not trolling and bullying on those who… just don’t agree with you,’ she wrote at the time.
Morley previously spoke about her pericarditis diagnosis earlier this month. In her earlier Instagram post (pictured), she made it clear she was ‘not anti-vax or pro-vax’ and insisted she was ‘open-minded’ and ‘pro personal choice, whatever that may be’
In a follow-up post, Ms Morley thanked fans for their concern and said the adverse reactions she experienced ‘do not happen to the majority’
The former reality star also said she wasn’t looking for sympathy.
In a follow-up post, Ms Morley thanked fans for their concern and said the adverse reactions she experienced ‘do not happen to the majority’.
She said she hopes her story doesn’t frighten people into not getting vaccinated, but instead raises awareness so they can make an informed decision for themselves.
She said she hopes her story doesn’t frighten people into not getting vaccinated, but instead raises awareness so they can make an informed decision for themselves
Ms Morley isn’t the only public figure to get pericarditis following their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Seven News reporter Denham Hitchcock suffered from the heart condition after getting jabbed back in August.
Lee Henderson, the ex-husband of radio personality Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, was also hospitalised with the rare side effect after his second Pfizer jab.
Professor Jason Kovacic, the Executive Director of the Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute, told Daily Mail Australia at the time that pericarditis can happen after Covid vaccines but only in ‘very, very rare’ cases.
Ms Morley (right) rose to fame on The Bachelor in 2019, vying for the heart of astrophysicist Matt Agnew (left). Pictured centre: fellow contestant Abbie Chatfield
‘Covid-19 vaccines can cause specific heart problems such as myocarditis and pericarditis, and particularly in males less than 30 years of age – but only very, very rarely,’ Professor Kovacic said.
‘About 60 people per one million can get myocarditis with the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) and it is generally a mild, short-lived illness. These complications cause inflammation of the heart muscle or inflammation of the lining around the heart muscle.
‘These complications have been reported in just a handful of people around the world and to the best of our knowledge most of them have recovered.’
Professor Kovacic said the risks of getting heart conditions as a result of Covid are much higher, and that the vaccine is the best safeguard to preventing these illnesses.
‘In contrast, the risk of having some form of heart complications if you contract Covid-19 is about 1000 times higher at ~5-10%,’ he said.
‘A very recent observational study has shown that young males infected with the virus are up to six times more likely to develop myocarditis as opposed to those who received the vaccine.
‘Covid-19 vaccines are incredibly safe and incredibly effective at preventing people from getting seriously unwell with Covid-19 infection.
‘The benefits for being vaccinated far outweigh any risk to the heart, especially given the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant which is now affecting an increasing number of young people.’
Professor Jason Kovacic, the Executive Director of the Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute, said pericarditis can happen after Covid vaccines but only in ‘very, very rare’ cases
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk