By Isabelle Wilson-
Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program has approved or paid out more than $2.7 million to claimants since the program opened in 2021, The Eye Of Media.Com has heard.
The news will come to many as a surprise, given the widely known rule that compensation is not available to those who suffer damage as a result of any damage that arises from vaccination.
The US federal government has granted immunity to companies like pfizer and Modernna for any unintentional harm caused to people. There is also no known compensation available to those who suffer injury from vaccination in the Uk.
Over 93 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Canada as of November 2022.It takes around 12 to 18 months for the average VISP
Serious reactions to vaccines are rare according to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), only one in 10,000 people have experienced a serious reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, for instance.
However, there have been 52,203 adverse events reported following COVID-19 vaccination in Canada since the start of the vaccine rollout, according to PHAC, making up 0.056 per cent of all doses administered.
This number includes any adverse reaction, including temporary rashes, fatigue, vaccination site pain and headache.
Around 10,300 of these were considered serious adverse events, making up 0.011 per cent of all doses administered.
The program for compensation received 1,299 claims, 209 of which were determined to be inadmissible because they either didn’t meet the eligibility criteria, or the claimnts had incomplete information.
The claims were made between June 2021 and December 1, 2022.Of those claims, 50 were of a serious and permanent injury and connected to a vaccine authorised by Health Canada.
Of the remaining claims, 221 have been fully assessed by the program’s medical review board, while 48 are pending medical review board assessment and 662 claims are in the process of collecting medical records, which is usually the longest step in the assessment process, according to the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP).
The program includes all vaccines that provide protection against preventable diseases, including, but not limited to, COVID-19 vaccines.
Serious Or Permanent Injury
A serious or permanent injury is defined as “a severe, life-threatening or life-altering injury that may require in-person hospitalization, or a prolongation of existing hospitalization, and results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity, or where the outcome is a congenital malformation or death.”
In order for a person to receive compensation, they first need to read the eligibility requirements to see if their grievance is covered and then submit an application with the help of a physician. The application will then be reviewed by a doctor from the VISP and further medical records may be requested.
Eligibility for compensation following an application is not straightforward.
A panel of doctors determine if the vaccine in question is the probable cause of the injury specified, and if the injury is severe and permanent in order to judge whether the person who submitted the claim merits financial support, along with what level of financial support.
The VISP applies to those living in all provinces and territories, except Quebec, which has its own Quebec Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Canada dropped its strict vaccination entry requirements for foreigners entering the country in October.
The country originally ran an irrational vaccination mandate that prohibited entry without vaccination, yet permitted travel from Canada without vaccination.