A Covid vaccine compensation scheme could be set up for people who claim they have been ‘left disabled’ from the jab.
Wes Streeting, the heath secretary, is considering the new programme to help those who are now suffering from life-changing conditions as a result of taking the AstraZeneca jab.
This comes amid calls to overhaul the existing scheme, Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), as there is concern it cannot handle to high volume of claims, which latest figures show is more than 15,000.
Those effected are keen to see the scheme, which was originally set up in 1979, reform its eligibility criteria and payout structure, as they claim it is ‘no longer fit for purpose’.
While thousands have been turned down by medical assessors who say there is not enough evidence of the jab causing harm, payments of £120,000 have been doled out in 175 cases – fewer than two per cent of those who applied.
Applicants have been awarded payments for conditions including dangerous blood clots, inflammation of the spinal cord, excessive swelling of the vaccinated limb and facial paralysis as well as for strokes and heart attacks.
An astonishing 97 per cent of successful claims relate to the AstraZeneca vaccine with just a handful relating to damage caused by Pfizer or Moderna, according to Freedom of Information requests made by The Telegraph.
One of the key criticisms cited by campaigners is the all-or-nothing payment of £120,000.
They argue the payment doesn’t go far enough for those most severely disabled by a vaccine injury, such as those who have suffered brain injuries, unable to work and facing ongoing care costs for the rest of their lives.
However, those who receive a payout under the scheme can still pursue private legal action against the Government to secure more damages.
Sir Jeremy Wright MP, the shadow attorney general, said: ‘If you are in the very small minority of those injured [by the Covid vaccine], those people have a right to expect the state to look after them properly – they were only doing what the state asked them to do.’
Campaigners note that the £120,000 figure was set in 2007 and hasn’t kept pace with inflation and the rising cost of living.
According to figures from the Bank of England, if the sum had increased alongside inflation payments, it would now be just over £195,000.
Another criticism is the length of time it takes for victims to get payment.
has spoken to some successful applicants who had to wait nearly two years to see a penny of the £120,000 sum.
They said this added to stress of being unable to work due to disability and having to rely on their savings to survive.
Others have previously told this website how year-long delays had left them with no option but to sell their homes and rely on food banks.
And some families, surviving on benefits such as Universal Credit following the death or disability of a main breadwinner from a jab injury, have had this state support reduced or removed entirely, with Government classifying the £120,000 as ‘income’.
But some Brits never see a penny at all, due to the scheme’s 60 per cent disability cut-off.
Those injured by a vaccine must either be killed or be at least 60 per cent disabled by their injury, as assessed by a medic, for they or their families to get any money.
This feature, described as ‘cruel’ by critics, means Brits with lesser, but with potentially still life changing injuries, get nothing.
Astrazeneca is being sued in a class action over claims that the jab, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases. The Government has indemnified AstraZeneca against any legal action, but has so far refused to intervene.