Fort St. John woman raises alarm about VISP rejection – despite support from ‘two of three experts on panel’

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A Fort St. John woman has spoken out about being rejected by Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) despite being told two-thirds of its expert medical panel agreed she deserves compensation. 

Michelle Worton, a resident of Fort St. John who previously owned and operated Blooming Smiles Dental Hygiene, is raising the alarm about VISP while she appeals the decision. 

In a statement to Energeticcity.ca on August 8th, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said it is taking concerns about VISP “seriously” and has launched an audit on Oxaro, the company which manages the program.  

Worton is also a founding member of CANrise19, a patient-led support group for those “suffering adversely due to the Covid-19 pandemic response.” 

The group provides emotional and financial support, stating it does not provide medical information and encouraging individuals to follow their doctors’ orders.

Worton told Energeticcity.ca she experienced a “very severe, hyper-immune response” to the Covid-19 vaccine, which she received early due to her position as a dental hygienist. 

“My first injection was November 2021, and within an hour I had cardiovascular-related issues…and I didn’t realize until August of 2024 visiting the United States…that it was early signs of…dysautonomia,” Worton said. 

Dysautonomia is a disorder of the nervous system that disrupts autonomic body processes such as blood pressure and heart rate. Worton has been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which further causes the heart to beat faster than normal when sitting, lying down or standing up.  

Since receiving the vaccine, Worton said she has experienced symptoms and immune responses that have negatively and permanently impacted her quality of life and ability to work. 

Worton had to sell her business because of the financial implications of her medical treatments. Residents of Fort St. John also supported her in a 2023 fundraiser to support the treatment costs of a rare brain condition. 

Worton has sought medical attention in America, Alberta and B.C., and applied to VISP in April 2023. 

VISP is intended to support Canadians who experienced a serious or permanent injury from a Health Canada-authorized vaccine on or after December 8th, 2020. 

The Canadian government reported 107,216,820 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered between December 14th, 2020 and June 30th, 2024. Out of the 3,317 claims received by VISP until June 1st, 2025, its medical review board has currently approved 234 cases.

Worton told Energeticcity.ca her claim was originally accepted in July 2023, but was rejected in October 2024. 

“Two of the three medical panel experts agree that there was a temporal relationship between my vaccine dates and my symptom onset…my case manager at the time really encouraged me to appeal, and so that’s where we are now,” Worton claims. 

Worton detailed the long wait times and lack of support from VISP, and said if your appeal is rejected, “that’s as far as it goes.”

“The last thing I expected was to become injured, but I certainly didn’t expect to be in this position if that did happen,” Worton said. 

In the statement to Energeticcity.ca, PHAC wrote: “PHAC is undertaking this [VISP] review and further analysis to address concerns that have been raised and to help improve how the program is delivered to better meet the needs of Canadians.”

Energeticcity.ca reached out to Oxaro for comment, but did not immediately hear back. This story will be updated should more information become available.