WHO Agrees To Compensation Plan for COVAX Vaccines Side Effects

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday the no-fault compensation plan for people in 92 low and middle-income countries that might report serious side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine to acquire via the COVAX facility.

RELATED:

The US Will Pay $200 Million + To the World Health Organization

"By providing a no-fault lump-sum compensation in full and final settlement of any claims, the COVAX program aims to significantly reduce the need for recourse to the law courts, a potentially lengthy and costly process,"  the  WHO explained in a statement.

The compensation plan will cover for "rare but serious adverse events" of any of these vaccines until June 30, 2022. According to the WHO, "this is the first and only global vaccine injury compensation mechanism."

The COVAX no-fault compensation program will be available from March 31 through the website www.covaxclaims.com. According to the CEO of the GAVI vaccine alliance Dr. Seth Berkley, "the No-Fault Compensation fund is a massive boost for COVAX’s goal of equitable global access to vaccines: by providing a robust, transparent, and independent mechanism to settle serious adverse events, it helps those in countries who might have such effects, manufacturers to roll out vaccines to countries faster, and is a key benefit for lower-income governments procuring vaccines through the Gavi COVAX AMC."