Peeblesshire farmer left with 'ticking time-bomb' in his head, after falling ill on way home from third Covid vaccination
Last updated 6th Feb 2025
A Peeblesshire farmer left brain damaged after falling ill on his way home from his third Covid vaccination says he wants the government to be held accountable - and provide more support for victims.
Brian Femister - who was diagnosed with a rare blood clot on the brain - revealed he was forced to sell off his cattle as his condition deteriorated.
Left paralysed down one side and in chronic pain, the 54-year-old, from Broughton, has shared a letter from his local GP practice which raises concerns over the link "between the timing of the administration of this vaccine and this rare neurological condition".
“I went from being a fit, active man to basically a zombie," he said. "I’m just in agony all of the time now.
“We’re not allowed to inject our sheep or cattle willy-nilly with stuff that’s not properly tested. Yet that was allowed to happen to me. I just want the government to take accountability.”
Brian revealed he felt no ill-effects after receiving the first two doses of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.
But, when he returned for a booster - Pfizer this time - in December 2021, he was knocked off his feet "almost immediately".
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Brian said: "I was rushed to hospital. My little boy was at the side of my bed when specialists were telling me I've got a ticking bomb in my head.
"I wasn't keen on getting any more (jags), but the government and all the media stuff was coercing us to do our bit, and if we wanted to be able to move from area to area we had to get them.
"My in-laws are Hungarian so, if I was ever going to get the chance to go and visit family, I kind of had no choice."
He added: "My GP has been fantastic, but they're not getting all the assistance and guidance they need, because I think they just don't know. It was like: 'Let's roll out this vaccine - panic, panic, panic! And we'll just have to see what comes from it.' Which is pretty ridiculous."
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Brian is believed to be among more than 600 Scots who have reportedly experienced adverse reactions to vaccines, while 95 have been hospitalised.
Former primary school teacher Ruth O’Rafferty, from South Lanarkshire, co-founded the Scottish Vaccine Injury Group after she developed alarming reactions to foods, perfumes and even tap water after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine in June 2021.
She has accused ministers of failing to help people deal with debilitating side-effects.
The 56-year-old said: “I can’t stand the injustice of what’s happening. It’s time for the truth to come out. These inquiries need to address the mishandling and lack of support for those injured by the vaccine.”
The Scottish Covid Inquiry says part of its Terms of Reference is to investigate the strategic elements of the handling of the pandemic relating to the design and delivery of a vaccination strategy.
But it's unable to determine matters of civil or criminal liability.
At a UK covid inquiry hearing, former health secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged some people were harmed by the vaccines, but said the programme had saved many more lives.
A spokesperson added: "We have only very recently concluded the hearings for Module 4, Vaccines and Therapeutics, and it will be several months at least before the report on that module is ready for publication."
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