Vietnam included in Covax vaccine compensation program

The compensation program, said by World Health Organization (WHO) to be the first and only vaccine injury compensation mechanism operating on an international scale, will offer eligible individuals a fast, fair, robust and transparent process to receive compensation for rare but serious adverse events associated with Covax-distributed vaccines until June 30, 2022, according to a WHO press release Monday.

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

Ninety-two low and middle-income economies would be eligible for the program via Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) Covax Advance Market Commitment (AMC), including Vietnam.

The program would be operationalized through a web portal by March 31. Eligible individuals may apply for compensation even if they are administered a Covax-distributed vaccine before March 31.

WHO is working with Chubb, a property and casualty insurance company, to secure insurance coverage for the program with Chubb as lead insurer. The program is financed initially through AMC donor funding, calculated as a levy charged on all doses of Covid-19 vaccines distributed through Covax.

Vietnam is expected to be provided with 4.9 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine produced by British-Swedish AstraZeneca with Oxford University within the first half of this year through Covax. A total 1.2 million doses are scheduled to arrive in the first quarter and over 3.6 million doses in the second quarter, prioritized for medics, customs officers, diplomatic personnel, soldiers, police officers and teachers.

Covax, a global mechanism for developing, manufacturing and procuring Covid-19 vaccines and supply for member countries, is co-led by WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi, a global health partnership for increasing vaccine access in poor countries.

Vietnam has recorded 2,395 Covid-19 cases, with 639 active.