Australians who get serious blood clots after the AstraZeneca vaccine may soon be able to claim compensation thanks to a new scheme.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced the Federal Government will establish a covid vaccine claim scheme to cover both doctors and patients in the case of an adverse outcome.
Mr Hunt announced the scheme on Friday, although full details are not yet available.
In a statement Mr Hunt said someone who had experienced a significant adverse reaction from a vaccine “causing injury and economic loss” would have access to a no fault claims process scheme.
“Proven claims will be able to receive appropriate compensation without the need of formal court processes,” the statement said.
“Potential claimants accessing the scheme will still have the option of pursuing action through a court judgment if that is their preference.”
Mr Hunt said the Covid-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme will be backdated to the start of the national vaccine rollout – 22 February 2021.
However, he indicated the scheme may only cover patients who got their jab through a general practitioner (GP) and not at one of the state vaccination hubs.
“The scheme will support claims made against privately practising health professionals who administer a Covid-19 vaccine approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),” he said.
He said details of the scheme would be finalised in consultation with peak bodies, indemnity insurers, patient groups and states and territories.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Monday night that those aged under 60 years old would be able to get the AstraZeneca vaccine if they wanted, despite the risk of rare but serious blood clots.
The news was welcomed by many of those aged under 40 years old who were previously not eligible for any vaccine (except in the Northern Territory). Those aged between 40 and 59 years old are able to get the Pfizer vaccine.
In order to provide legal protection to doctors who want to provide the jab to younger Australians, Mr Morrison said the Commonwealth would establish an indemnity scheme to cover Covid-19 vaccines approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
However, experts noted that this scheme did not cover patients and people who do have a bad reaction to a vaccine, including the 69 Australians who have already developed serious blood clots, would not receive any compensation. The families of two people who died from the blood clotting condition Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) were also not in line to receive any compensation.
Vaccination uptake expert Associate Professor Margie Danchin of Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has been pushing for a no-fault vaccine injury compensation scheme for years, and said the situation was unfair to young people in particular, who were stepping up to get vaccinated for the country’s sake.
“If they got very sick, they could come out of the hospital having had multiple weeks off work, or have ongoing medical expenses, but there is no compensation,” Prof Leask told news.com.au prior to Mr Hunt’s announcement.
“They could be left seriously out of pocket.
“Even though they are getting vaccinated for the nation, the nation is not looking after them.
“That’s not fair and it’s not right.”
RELATED: Why some young people are more willing to take AstraZeneca risk
Previously Health Minister Greg Hunt was asked about protections for individuals during a press conference on Tuesday but would only say that final details would be released within the coming week.
Prof Leask said she did not support limiting the scheme to only those who got vaccinated through a doctor, and not including those who got vaccinated through a state hub.
“That would be half-baked and unfair to half of Australians (who got vaccinated at a hub) who wouldn’t have access to it,” she said.
Prof Leask said other countries like Japan and New Zealand had vaccine compensation schemes, and it was time for the public to call for one in Australia.
“Let’s talk about compensation and call for it loudly,” she said.
In Australia, the risk of getting the serious blood clotting condition TTS has been estimated at 3.1 per 100,000 for those aged under 50 years old.
The estimates are uncertain due to the low number of vaccinations in this age group in Australia.
Australian Government figures suggest the risk is higher for those aged 40-49, in which an estimated 5 in 100,000 developed TTS.
In comparison, no people in this age group would be expected to die in a low-risk Covid scenario, in which there is an infection rate similar to the first wave of Covid in Australia. About 2.6 per 100,000 would be hospitalised.
“If you’re a 40-year-old, the risk of getting a clot is about one in 80,000 and the risk of dying is about one in a million,” Infectious diseases expert Professor Peter Collignon of Australian National University told news.com.au.
RELATED: Risks associated with AstraZeneca for under 40s
In Australia, about 3 per cent of those who have developed TTS so far have died, although this figure is based on those currently vaccinated, which does not include many young people.
The two people who died were a 52-year-old woman and a 48-year-old NSW woman.
The blood clotting risk in Australia, which does not have significant cases of Covid circulating, has led the Australian Technical and Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) to recommend Pfizer as the preferred vaccine for under 60s.
As Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young told reporters on Wednesday: “I don’t want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got Covid probably wouldn’t die.”
However, experts believe young Australians should be allowed to weigh the risks for themselves and get vaccinated with AstraZeneca if they want.
“I think we need to give young people enough credit to weigh the risk and benefits and make a decision in light of medical advice,” vaccination uptake expert Associate Professor Margie Danchin of Murdoch Children’s Research Institute told news.com.au.
“We shouldn’t be too paternalistic.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiqgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9hdXN0cmFsaWFucy13aG8tZ2V0LWJsb29kLWNsb3RzLWZyb20tYXN0cmF6ZW5lY2EtdmFjY2luZS1kb250LWhhdmUtYWNjZXNzLXRvLWFueS1jb21wZW5zYXRpb24vbmV3cy1zdG9yeS84YzdmNjljYzE1ZmQzZTNjZWMzMDEzMzE0MGNkN2ExMtIBqgFodHRwczovL2FtcC5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9hdXN0cmFsaWFucy13aG8tZ2V0LWJsb29kLWNsb3RzLWZyb20tYXN0cmF6ZW5lY2EtdmFjY2luZS1kb250LWhhdmUtYWNjZXNzLXRvLWFueS1jb21wZW5zYXRpb24vbmV3cy1zdG9yeS84YzdmNjljYzE1ZmQzZTNjZWMzMDEzMzE0MGNkN2ExMg?oc=5
2021-07-02 09:11:15Z
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