Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme: How much will MOH be insuring for serious side effects related to Covid-19 vaccination?

Last week, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that it would be introducing a vaccine injury financial assistance programme (VIFAP) to provide financial assistance for affected persons in the rare event of serious side effects that are assessed to be related to Covid-19 vaccines administered in Singapore.

To be clear, MOH has stated that it is introducing this programme to give greater peace of mind for those in Singapore who choose to take the vaccination, and not because taking the vaccination may cause serious side effects.

Similar to other vaccinations that we take, whether as children or adults, any vaccinations can cause side effects.

As shared by the Health Science Authority (HSA), among more than 113,000 individuals who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, there were 432 adverse event reports of side effects.

Most of these reports were for regular symptoms such as injection site pain and swelling, fever, headache, fatigue, body aches, giddiness, nausea and allergic reactions (such as itch, rash, swelling of eyes/lip). These symptoms generally resolved on their own within a few days.

There were 3 cases of individuals, in their 20s and 30s, who reported anaphylaxis (rapid onset of severe allergic reactions). Symptoms developed were rash, breathlessness, lip swelling, throat tightness and giddiness. These were quickly resolved by healthcare professionals.

Severe allergic reactions could include eye, mouth, or facial swelling, difficulty in breathing and/or a fall in blood pressure. Anyone who develops anaphylaxis to the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine should not receive the second dose.

As MOH also highlighted in their media release, “the benefits of getting vaccinated to protect oneself from the effects of severe Covid-19 disease and its complications far outweigh the risk of any potential adverse events known to be associated with vaccination.”

What the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) covers us for?

The vaccine injury financial assistance programme (VIFAP) provides us on three levels of coverage.

1.  A one-time pay-out of up to $10,000 will be provided to an eligible individual who is hospitalised requiring care in the High Dependency or Intensive Care Unit but subsequently recovers from medically significant serious side effects; and

2.  A one-time pay-out of $225,000 will be provided to an individual who dies or suffers permanent severe disability as a result of Covid-19 vaccination.

It’s worth noting that the one-time payout isn’t required for healthcare-related cost because our MediShield Life and private integrated shield plans already cover us for any complications that leads to hospitalisation . It is simply a one-time payout that is given if any of the above two insured events happen.

Who is covered under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP)?

To qualify for the vaccine injury financial assistance programme (VIFAP), individuals must be Singapore Citizen, Permanent Resident or long-term pass holder who has received an approved Covid-19 vaccination in Singapore.

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Also, the side effects have to be serious that is potentially life-threatening or fatal and requires hospitalisation or has caused persistent incapacity or disability. The serious side effects must be assessed by a doctor to be linked to the individual’s Covid-19 vaccination.

For VIFAP application, MOH has appointed an independent clinical panel comprising experts in relevant fields such as neurology, immunology and infectious diseases to assess and VIFAP applications.

As shared by MOH in earlier announcements, the Covid-19 vaccines are not recommended for 1) pregnant women, 2) severely immunocompromised persons, and 3)children under the age of 16 years for now, until more efficacy and safety data become available for these subgroups.

It is also not advisable for those with a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions to receive Covid-19 vaccine. The introduction of the VIFAP does not change that stance.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

This article was first published in Dollars and Sense.