'They shouldn’t just palm people off with painkillers' - Crawley man asks NHS to help more with those suffering long-term pain from Covid-19 vaccine jabs

But Dominic Russo, of Tilgate, is not looking to put people off getting their jabs - he wants the NHS to warn and help regarding the possible long-term effects.

Mr Russo received his first jab on April 18. He was told his arm maybe a bit sore for 24hrs just take paracetamol if he was in pain. When he had his second jab in the other arm it didn’t hurt.

He said: “The first one really hurt when the doctor injected it into me. I was told that was normal.

“I still had my second one but I had it in the other arm, and that didn’t hurt at all.

“When I had my first jab they just told me my arm may be a bit sore for 24 hours just take paracetamol if I’m in pain.

“When I had my second one I told them I’m still suffering with my first jab, but they just brushed it off and rushed me through!”

Mr Russo went to his doctor’s about the pain in his shoulder when it got worse after a week.

The first appointment was by phone call and he was prescribed anti-inflammatory for a week and was told to go back if there were no improvements.

Mr Russo, 49, said: “I went back with even more pain and was able to have a face to face appointment and he gave me a steroid injection.

“I went back to work the day after but by May 14 I couldn’t carry on with work due to the pain in my shoulder and lack of movement.”

Mr Russo works as a driver so not being able to work has changed his life - but he was full of praise for the way his employers have dealt with the situation.

He said: “My work has been absolutely brilliant all the way through. I’m lucky enough they paid me company sick pay, for the last six months, the last month they paid me holiday pay but that all stopped last week.

“I tried twice to go back and after a test drive but my shoulder does not allow me to drive without pain or pain hours after stopping. So I have now been medically discharged.

“My health physically has suffered as well, I’ve gained two stone in weight, and that’s mainly down to no exercise or very little as my shoulder hurts even when walking.”

And Mr Russo would like the NHS to do more to help with people who do suffer from the side effects.

“They [the NHS] shouldn’t just palm people off with painkillers,” he said. “I ended up having to pay for physiotherapy, a second steroid injection and an MRI scan. Who knows how long I would have had to wait if I hadn’t.

“I wish I went private straight away as I wasted the first two months listening to them saying up your painkillers’.

“Since going private I’ve had acupuncture, shockwave treatment and hands on. My guy says I will improve but I need at least a couple more months with strengthening exercises - months I don’t have with the job I’ve done for 16 years.

“I would say to anyone who still having effects from their jabs go private and they will help you.

“The more of us say we are having problems they may look into more and see this may have not been thoroughly checked out before given. I just feel very let down by the NHS.

“I’m not trying to put people off, I’m just asking NHS to help more or more people will be without jobs due to pain caused by either the jab or the way it was given.”

A spokesperson for NHS Sussex said: “In terms of the advice at vaccination services for people, everyone receiving a COVID-19 vaccination should receive information about what they should look out for and what to do if they have any health concerns following their vaccination. This includes seeking advice from their GP practice or NHS 111.

“We also share these materials to make sure people can be prepared for their vaccination: COVID-19 vaccination: booster dose resources - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)”

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) make sure that vaccines meet strict international standards for safety, quality and effectiveness. Once a vaccine is approved, it’s closely monitored to continue to make sure it is safe and effective.

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer said: “We are sorry to hear of the suspected side effects your reader has experienced associated with the COVID 19 vaccine.

“Vaccination remains the single most effective way to reduce deaths and severe illness from COVID-19. While no effective medicine or vaccine is without risk, to date the side effects observed are in line with those seen during the clinical trials and the vast majority relate to injection site reactions and other generalised flu like reactions.

“We would like to reassure patients that patient safety remains our top priority and we are closely monitoring the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines.

We publish suspected adverse reactions associated with the COVID 19 vaccines on our website every week. Our advice remains that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks in the majority of people

“We ask anyone who suspects they have experienced a side effect linked with their COVID-19 vaccine to report it to the Coronavirus Yellow Card website.”