Spanish Teacher Wins Landmark Court Ruling Recognizing COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects as Occupational Injury

• A Barcelona teacher, Pedro García, has successfully secured a court ruling recognizing his health complications following a 2021 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination as an occupational accident.
• García co-founded the Association of Essential Workers Affected by the AstraZeneca Vaccine (Ateava) to advocate for state-led compensation mechanisms for vaccine-related injuries.
• The story of his struggle is documented in the graphic novel '17 de marzo' by artist Daniel Torrado, which focuses on the personal and political dimensions of the victims' experience.

The Medical Case

• In March 2021, García, a chemistry and physics teacher, suffered a portal vein thrombosis shortly after receiving his mandatory dose as an essential worker.
• He experienced extreme fatigue and coughed up blood, eventually landing in the ICU with critically low platelet counts.
• Spain suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for those under 60 in April 2021 and fully stopped distribution by June of that year.

The Path to Recognition

• García founded Ateava to connect with other affected workers, growing the group from seven initial members to over 145 people.
• The association advocates for a government-mandated automatic recognition system, similar to the one implemented for healthcare workers who contracted persistent COVID-19 during the early stages of the pandemic, arguing that victims should not need to engage in lengthy, costly legal battles.

Graphic Novel and Social Message

• The graphic novel '17 de marzo' uses specific color palettes—blues for the hospital environment and red for the physical suffering—to convey the isolation of the recovery process.
• García emphasized that while he represents one of the first successful cases, the majority of the victims (80%) are women, raising concerns about how clinical trials are conducted and which bodies are prioritized in medical testing.