Actress Sally Kirkland, known for her Academy Award-winning performance in the 1987 biopic movie ‘Anna’, has become an advocate for not getting the Covid-19 vaccine after suffering a severe adverse reaction to the Moderna jab.

In a recent episode of “The People’s Testaments,” Kirkland told Polley Tommey: “Like I know my own name, I would advise you not to do the vaccine.”

After witnessing what one of her friends experienced after they caught the virus, Kirkland decided to get both doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Thankfully, her friend recovered, but five months after receiving her second Moderna shot, Kirkland remains in constant pain.

The 79-year-old actress said that before she took the vaccine she was completely healthy. Although, she said that almost immediately after the second shot she began experiencing headaches, vertigo, nausea and joint pain.

Kirkland said that some doctors refused to link her symptoms to the vaccine despite the timing of her reaction. However, some doctors didn’t – several doctors told her that the vaccine had attacked the nerve in her brain that causes dizziness, vertigo and joint pain throughout her body.

At one point, alone late at night, Kirkland shared that the vertigo caused her to fall, resulting in a broken toe and sprained ankle.

Now, Kirkland takes multiple prescriptions for pain, nausea and vertigo, and alternates between applying hot packs and ice on her joints. Despite her pain, the actress continues to work as she needs to support herself.

During a recent acting job in New Orleans, Kirkland was rushed to hospital where a doctor reportedly told her: “You’re not the first person. We’ve had other people who got the Moderna vaccine, which attacked the nerve in their brain, causing all these symptoms.”