Since 2021, the Chinese government has been aggressively promoting the inoculation of domestically produced COVID-19 vaccines, covering billions of people. However, the adverse reactions, long-term effects, and difficulties in seeking justice resulting from the vaccine have gradually emerged as a sensitive and sharp issue in society. In this large-scale medical intervention under the guise of public safety, individual sufferings are often engulfed by systemic silence, and Liang Hui, a former nurse from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, has become one of the “voiceless” in this storm.
Liang Hui developed severe asthma and various diseases shortly after receiving the vaccine, resulting in physical and mental devastation. She depleted her savings within four years, made unsuccessful attempts to seek justice multiple times, and currently finds herself stranded in Beijing, desperately calling for help.
At the beginning of 2021, the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines were still in the emergency approval stage, without undergoing long-term clinical verification. Nonetheless, the authorities launched a large-scale mandatory or semi-mandatory vaccination campaign. According to statistics from a civilian group for vaccine adverse reactions, as of September 2023, just one group of victims had collected over three thousand suspected cases, covering systemic severe illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes, leukemia, lupus, asthma, diabetes, and ALS. Although the Chinese CDC publicly acknowledged that “a very small number of people may experience adverse reactions,” the official response has never included a comprehensive investigation or establishment of a compensation mechanism, with the majority of victims being diagnosed as “coincidental events,” leading to a dead-end in seeking justice.
Amid the reality of tight government control over public opinion and petitions, vaccine victims are not only faced with physical breakdown but also with institutional closures and societal indifference.
Liang Hui, originally from Xingtai, Hebei Province, worked as a nurse in the operating room of the Jiaxing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Zhejiang Province. She told a reporter from Epoch Times that on January 14 and 28, 2021, she was administered two doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine under pressure at the hospital. “The head nurse made it clear that I couldn’t work if I didn’t get vaccinated, even using the phone to pressure me. I had no choice then,” she said helplessly.
Shortly after the vaccination, Liang Hui began experiencing severe respiratory allergic reactions: “coughing, feeling of foreign objects in the throat, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, unable to sleep all night, worsening every day.” She sought treatment in several hospitals in Jiaxing, Shanghai, Hebei, among others, eventually being diagnosed with bronchial asthma, lung nodules, hypothyroidism, mitral and tricuspid valve insufficiency, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and other conditions.
“My body feels like it’s been hollowed out,” Liang Hui said. She underwent ineffective treatment for four consecutive months, then turned to traditional Chinese medicine and folk remedies, accumulating expenses exceeding 300,000 RMB and borrowing over a hundred thousand from relatives and friends. She has now lost weight to just over 70 pounds, with daily medication costs amounting to six to seven thousand RMB.
“I’m not exaggerating. I truly can’t go on living,” she said. “Every day, I feel my chest about to explode, coughing until I see black, and my heart feels like it’s being stabbed.”
Liang Hui mentioned that she had repeatedly raised concerns to her former workplace, the Jiaxing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, the Jiaxing CDC, and the Health Commission, requesting a re-investigation of vaccine adverse reactions, only to face continuous evasion. “They sometimes claim it’s a coincidence, other times saying it’s not their responsibility, hanging up on me on the phone, and blocking me on WeChat.”
She also tried to seek help through three visits to Beijing but was sent back forcefully by the local government upon arrival on the first two attempts. “The third time, I entered Beijing in a clandestine manner by taking an unlicensed taxi. A friend picked me up to avoid detection,” Liang Hui shared.
Furthermore, local public security officers warned her family multiple times, accusing her of “inciting trouble,” leading to severe strain in her family relationships. “My brother even hit me with a stool, and my mother almost had a heart attack from fright. Now, not only does nobody take care of me, but they want to drive me crazy and to my death,” she said.
Liang Hui mentioned that in the mutual aid group of vaccine victims she belongs to, over two hundred people have experiences similar to hers. She cited examples like Zhao Yajing, who got leukemia and was sentenced to two years and nine months for seeking justice, the family of He Cixiang suffering from ALS who had been sent to a mental hospital three times, and a patient named Qian Dalong who has been under “job-site control” for over three years.
“We conducted a survey, and most people in the group are heavily indebted, many surviving through begging and selling off their possessions,” Liang Hui said. With all avenues for petitioning blocked, some have resorted to chanting slogans on the streets or putting up banners, only to face detention, imprisonment, or forced hospitalization.
Regarding the long-term effects seen in Chinese vaccine recipients, the authorities have never provided a direct response. The official stance is a combination of assertions: trustworthiness of the COVID-19 vaccine, extremely rare and manageable side effects, existing legal protection for recipients of the vaccine, and a systematic investigation and reporting process for suspected cases. However, some victims have encountered resistance in practical avenues for seeking justice.
A lawyer named Zhao, who previously handled the tainted milk powder case, told Epoch Times that cases like Liang Hui’s not only reveal loopholes in the medical system but also result from public institutions and policies. When individuals fail to receive fair investigations and medical compensation but instead face suppression and isolation, it will seriously undermine the credibility of the entire public health system.
The lawyer stated that while the authorities emphasize the vaccine’s “safety and effectiveness,” they refuse to establish a transparent compensation mechanism for potential risks – a departure from the spirit of science. Moreover, suppressing the voices of victims through stability maintenance measures creates a secondary harm.
Liang Hui expressed that every day, she contemplates how to die without pain but always gives up at the last moment. “I haven’t gotten justice yet. I’m not willing to give up,” she said. “I just hope that while I’m still alive, someone will come forward to listen to our story till the end.”