JUST IN: Kayla Pollock, the Ontario woman paralyzed after a COVID-19 vaccination, has been told to reapply for vaccine injury compensation four years after first submitting her claim

Kayla Pollock, a young mother from Ontario, saw her life change dramatically after receiving a Moderna COVID-19 booster on January 11, 2022. She developed severe neurological symptoms shortly afterward, including sudden weakness and episodes of collapsing. She later experienced a sudden loss of movement and woke up unable to move her body. She was transported to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario, where she underwent emergency assessment and imaging.

An MRI reportedly revealed a large lesion on her spinal cord, and she was later diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a condition that affects nerve signal transmission in the spinal cord.

Pollock applied in 2022 to Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program, which was administered by a private contractor, Oxaro, hired by the federal government to process vaccine injury claims following the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. She experienced delays and administrative issues with her claim and later reapplied after being told her original application could not be located. Now, four years later, she says she has been informed she must reapply for a third time.

The takeover of the program by the federal government followed reports of administrative problems and concerns about program management raised in media investigations, including reporting by Global News in 2025.

Pollock is not alone in expressing frustration with the new program. Dan Hartman, whose 17-year-old son, Sean Hartman, died 33 days after receiving a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, also previously applied to the program under its former administration and was denied. He then appealed the decision and has been waiting in limbo for the past three years. Hartman said that after speaking with the program’s new administration this week, he has now also been advised to reapply.

You can watch Kayla’s interview with The Canadian Independent below.