Bonjour, new guests from small-town India
Puneet Dhawan of Accor is brimming with ideas on ways to revive the hospitality sector
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have agreed to launch a vaccine compensation mechanism to address claims of serious side effects among people who belong to 92 poor countries, as per media reports.
WHO said in a statement, cited in the Xinhua news: This is the first and only global vaccine injury compensation mechanism operating on an international scale.
WHO revealed that the compensation program is called No-Fault Compensation, which will offer individuals “a fast, fair, robust and transparent process to receive compensation for rare but serious adverse events associated with COVAX-distributed vaccines until June 30, 2022.”
Under the COVAX facility, the multilateral organisation aims to distribute coronavirus vaccine to poorer nations so as to maintain equitable access to the vaccine across the world.
WHO noted that all the vaccines that will be distributed under the COVAX receive regulatory approval or an emergency use authorisation to confirm their safety and efficacy.
Also read: Vaccinating healthcare workers: A race against time
“But, as with all medicines, even vaccines that are approved for general use may, in rare cases, cause serious adverse reactions,” WHO said.
It added: “By providing a no-fault lump-sum compensation in full and final settlement of any claims, the COVAX program aims to significantly reduce the need for recourse to the law courts, a potentially lengthy and costly process.”
Last week, WHO revealed that 251 candidate vaccines are currently under development worldwide. And 70 of them have begun their clinical trials. These vaccines are from Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, among others.