Information compiled from injections of more than a hundred million doses of COVID-19 vaccines carried out around the world has shown side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and adverse events following vaccination are extremely rare. The fact is some people may still experience some side effects of any vaccines sometimes, even after they are fully developed and no matter what companies they belong to. All COVID-19 vaccines being used now, meanwhile, still are approved for emergency use only.
         
Public confidence in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines continues to be undermined by news reports about side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and suspected adverse events after vaccination, ranging from mild ones – such as dizziness, vomiting, fevers, numbness, and weakness in legs or arms – to serious ones – such as permanent unconsciousness and death. That’s the reason why it is crucial to keep boosting public confidence in the government’s COVID-19 vaccination programme that will not only help mitigate the severity of the disease but also build up heard immunity for the entire country when at least 70% of the entire population is fully vaccinated.
 
“Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are something we can never deny. And that is why all vaccine recipients are required to stay half an hour longer for observation of possible side effects that normally occur within this period of time. And this should improve public confidence in the vaccination programme to some extent.”
         
In case of COVID-19 vaccine’s side effects and adverse events following vaccination, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) is offering financial compensation as preliminary assistance to parties suffering these unwanted consequences of the COVID-19 vaccination. The compensation is now allowed under Section 41 of the 2002 National Health Security Act, which normally deals with preliminary assistance for parties suffering health damages following a healthcare service received under the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS). Prior to the launch of the financial compensation for COVID-19 vaccine recipients, additional rules were issued to specify terms and conditions of the financial compensation programme that will offer parties suffering a significant health condition suspected to have been caused by the COVID-19 vaccination.
         
This is a social mechanism to provide preliminary assistance to help alleviate suffering without having to wait until final results of a medical investigation are known. Anyone who has recently been injected with a COVID-19 vaccine and afterwards developed any health conditions suspected to be linked to the given vaccine has every right to believe these conditions may have been caused by the vaccine. And this is consistent with a medical point of view that these COVID-19 vaccines may still have some side effects while still being approved for emergency use only. The real cause of the suspected health conditions will later be proved in a formal medical investigation.
         
The process of seeking this preliminary financial assistance isn’t complicated at all. In case of death after COVID-19 vaccination, for instance, a relative of the death may submit a request for the financial compensation to either the hospital at where the vaccination in question was carried out, the Provincial Public Health Office, or a branch office of the NHSO closet to him or her. Other channels for submitting the request include health volunteers or an independent unit receiving complaints, which is authorisied by the power of Section 50(5) of the 2002 National Health Security Act. The NHSO has already appointed a sub-committee tasked with handling these requests in all 13 health regions. Each of these sub-committees consists of a sufficient number of medical experts who will examine and decide as to which case is justified to receive the financial compensation. The sub-committees will basically base their judgement on the patient’s medical history.
         
So, every case suspected to be linked to the COVID-19 vaccination should be immediately submitted to the compensation sub-committee for consideration. And in case the sub-committee agrees the case deserves to be compensated for, the financial compensation will normally be paid by the NHSO within five days after that. The money will be transferred to bank account given by to the party concerned. And even if it is later proved in a formal medical investigation to have nothing to do with the COVID-19 vaccination as suspected in the beginning, the money already paid won’t be recalled. The reason is this money is simply intended as preliminary assistance in the no-fault compensation programme.
         
“Now a total of 344 requests for compensation have been received and the NHSO already has paid the compensation in 239 cases totaling 3.01 million baht (as of June 4, 2021). Most of these cases dealt with mild symptoms that occurred after the vaccination such as numbness. And of all six requests for compensation in case of post-jab death, four have so far been compensated for, which were in Pathum Thani, Songkhla, Phrae and Tak.”
         
The no-fault compensation idea has been recognised worldwide for its benefits for and protection of vaccine recipients as well as its providing of incentive for more people to come forward to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
         
In March, 2021 the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an international compensation programme, which WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said was intended for easing suffering by those affected by the COVID-19 vaccination, without having to go the court to demand for compensation.
         
The no-fault compensation idea isn’t actually new as about 25 member countries of all 194 WHO member nations, including Thailand, have already brought in place a similar no-fault compensation programme for any damages in medical and healthcare services in general.
         
This is a proof that Thailand is now on the right track in its efforts to build up immunity against COVID-19 as a way of surviving the COVID-19 crisis.