Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) has signed a first of its kind agreement for a no-fault compensation programme for the 92 low- and middle-income countries and economies eligible for support for the COVID-19 vaccination through the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) of the COVAX Facility.
The programme, the only vaccine injury compensation mechanism operating on an international scale, is aimed at providing a fast, fair and transparent process to receive compensation for rare but serious adverse events associated with COVAX-distributed vaccines until 30 June 2022. The program aims to significantly reduce the need for recourse to the law courts, a potentially lengthy and costly process.
Although to ensure security, all vaccines distributed through COVAX Facility are procured only after receiving regulatory approval or an emergency use authorization, some rare cases of serious adverse reactions cannot be ruled out.
Praising the novel programme, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus said, "This no-fault compensation mechanism helps to ensure that people in AMC-eligible countries and economies can benefit from the cutting-edge science that has delivered COVID-19 vaccines in record time".
“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,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi.
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The programme is financed initially through Gavi COVAX AMC donor funding, calculated as a levy charged on all doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed through the COVAX Facility to the AMC eligible economies until 30 June 2022.
The programme will be operationalized through COVAX's web portal by 31 March 2021. Eligible individuals may apply for compensation under the programme once the portal becomes operational, even if a COVAX-distributed vaccine is administered to them before 31 March 2021.
