Covid vaccine claims could hit £110m: Up to 920 compensation applications have been filed by people who were left seriously injured after getting jab or from families of those who died

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By KATE DENNETT FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 02:23, 27 February 2022 | UPDATED: 08:08, 27 February 2022


Covid vaccine claims could hit £110m: Up to 920 compensation applications have been filed by people who were left seriously injured after getting jab or from families of those who died
Up to 920 compensation applications have been filed related to Covid-19 jab

Payouts under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme could top £110million
VDPS allows people allegedly left disabled by a vaccine to claim payment of £120,000
Lawyer said victims are calling for reform of the Vaccine Damage Payments Act


Up to 920 compensation applications have been filed by people who were left seriously injured after getting the Covid-19 vaccine as claims could hit £110million.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) allows people who are allegedly severely disabled due to a vaccination to claim a one-off tax-free payment of £120,000.

Family members of someone who has died after becoming disabled because of what they claim is the vaccination are also eligible to apply for the fixed payout.


It has emerged that the bill paid to those left with life-changing injuries from the Covid-19 vaccine or the families of those who died after getting the jab could top £110million, The Times reported.

It is believed that 920 compensation applications linked with Covid vaccination injury have already been filed under the VDPS, but no payments have been made yet.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme allows people who are severely disabled due to a vaccination to claim a one-off tax-free payment of £120,000 (stock image)
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The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme allows people who are severely disabled due to a vaccination to claim a one-off tax-free payment of £120,000 (stock image)

But if all the applications that have been registered so far are accepted by the scheme, the payments would come to a total of £110.4million.

To qualify for the one-off payment, victims must have been left at least 60 per cent disabled as a result of the vaccination.

Sarah Moore, who works for Hausfeld law firm, said the 95 victims she is representing are aware that they are in an 'unlucky minority' but are seeking for reform of the Vaccine Damage Payments Act.

Ms Moore said the majority of the victims continue to support the vaccination programme but want to see 'meaningful financial support' provided for families who claim to have been affected by the vaccine.


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Vikki Spit, from Alston, Cumbria, hopes to qualify for financial support after her fiancé Zion, 48, died of a brain haemorrhage two weeks after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine in May 2021.

She claimed his death certificate named the AstraZeneca vaccine but said she has been left in 'limbo' after applying for the scheme in June.

Lawyer Ms Moore claimed her clients have been told their applications could not go forward until the government assessed the injuries and looked into the alleged link to the vaccine.



Explaining that some of her clients had been waiting for more than nine months, she added: 'It is difficult to see what further evidence the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme require.

'The delays are a clear indicator that the existing system is antiquated and no longer fit for purpose.'

Ms Moore said that without 'proper engagement', the families would have no option but to litigate, as she urged the government to 'do better'.

Peter Todd, of the law firm Scott-Moncrieff, said the unprecedented level of Covid-19 vaccination has caused a surge in claims, with the VDPS normally only receiving around 100 applications a year.

The VDPA has paid out a total of £75,350,000 since 1979, while the payment of £120,000 has not been reviewed since 2007.

More than 52million people in the UK have received their first vaccination dose and almost 49million have had their second.

MailOnline has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.