A basket of needles containing COVID-19 vaccines waits to be administered to patients at a COVID-19 clinic in Ottawa on March 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS
In a recent move, the Canadian government has injected an additional $36.4 million into a program aimed at aiding individuals who have faced severe injury or loss of life due to vaccines since late 2020.
This initiative was rolled out shortly after the COVID-19 vaccination rollout began, offering financial assistance to individuals adversely affected by vaccines approved by Health Canada. Initially, the Liberals had allocated $75 million for the first five years of the program. So far, OXARO, a private firm, has been entrusted with managing the program and disbursing compensation for valid claims outside of Quebec, receiving $56.2 million from Ottawa.
By December, the firm had already compensated $11.2 million to claimants. Quebec, which has had its own vaccine injury compensation program since 1985, received $7.75 million from the federal program's inception.
In the recent federal budget presentation in the House of Commons, an additional $36 million was set aside for OXARO and Quebec to cover the next two years of the program. The Public Health Agency of Canada contracted OXARO to maintain the impartiality of the claims process, ensuring it operates independently from the agency.
According to a department spokesperson, the program's costs are contingent upon the number of claims received. As of December, OXARO had processed 2,233 claims, approving 138 of them. However, the data doesn't specify which vaccines were involved.
Although the program was initiated amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it covers injuries and fatalities linked to vaccines approved for any ailment, provided they were administered after December 8, 2020. Despite vaccine-related serious adverse reactions being exceptionally rare, affecting less than one in a million individuals, the government underscores its obligation to assist affected individuals.
Approximately 105 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since December 14, 2020, with only 0.01% resulting in serious adverse effects, as per Health Canada data. Out of 488 reported deaths post-COVID-19 vaccination, only four were directly linked to the vaccine, according to the latest Health Canada report.
Quebec observed a surge in claims to its vaccine injury compensation program during the pandemic, rising from one claim in 2020 to 98 in both 2021 and 2022. However, as of March 2023, only three cases had been approved for compensation.
The eligibility for compensation necessitates proof of severe, life-threatening, or life-altering injury resulting in substantial disability, incapacity, birth defect, or death. Meanwhile, Ottawa has mandated COVID-19 vaccination for air or train travel and federal public service employment.
