How Xpress gathered adverse events

Over the course of more than two months, Xpress reached out to communities and health care providers throughout the Asheville metro area to get a better sense of adverse events local residents have experienced after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Initial contacts included Facebook groups for areas including Candler, local Reddit postings and the citizens group WNC Freedom. Further contacts included national groups that have collected local adverse event reports, including RealNotRare.com and the Health Freedom Network.

A reporter contacted and followed up with every person who mentioned experiencing, observing or treating an adverse event. Those who did not separately verify their story and WNC residence with Xpress were not included in the tally of at least 25 adverse events reported here.

Roughly 20 adverse events were directly shared by individual vaccine recipients or their families. An additional three adverse events were shared as patient stories by doctor of acupuncture Sara Fields, as were three events of patients treated by Dr. Mark Hoch of Asheville.

Not included in the total are the adverse events noted secondhand by other sources, including local emergency services providers, hospitals and counties. Asheville personal injury attorney Lakota Denton also told Xpress he is regularly contacted by WNC residents seeking representation in COVID-19 vaccine injury cases.