Close to 30 Czech residents have already applied for financial compensation due to health problems after being vaccinated against Covid-19, it has emerged.
The requested amounts of compensation range from 90,000 korunas (€3,700) to 100 million korunas (€4.1 million). The Covid-19 vaccine is the only optional one covered by the 2020 Compensatory Act, however, the Ministry of Health has not yet granted compensation to anyone.
On Jan. 20, the ministry stated it had received 27 claims for health damage and responded to seven of these, rejecting them for various reasons. Those who reject the ministry’s decision are free to file legal proceedings but, according to the ministry, no one has done so yet.
In three cases, people are seeking compensation for the death of a loved one after vaccination. However, officials argue that only the injured party and no one else can receive compensation. In other cases, people complain of various neurological problems, epilepsy, rashes, and even disrupted breastfeeding.
According to one claim, a vaccinated woman allegedly developed a skin rash shortly after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. The problem worsened, her face began to swell, and after ten days she sought emergency help and received infusion therapy. The medication worked, but the rash returned after a week, and she needed treatment with corticosteroids. Nevertheless, the attending physician recommended the administration of the second dose of vaccination, saying it is sufficient to increase the dose of medication ahead of the vaccination.
However, a few days after the second dose, her condition worsened so much that she had to spend five days in the hospital. The rash did not disappear even after her release from the hospital. The woman learned from the attending physician that she could expect improvement about half a year after the Covid-19 antibodies were reduced in her body.
The link to vaccination is usually questioned
However, the ministry did not comply with her request for financial compensation. The law states that the government will compensate an injured party in the event of particularly serious injuries, pain, loss of earnings, or difficulties in social engagement. However, in this and other cases, ministerial officials state that, from their point of view, this is not a particularly serious injury, and in such a case that they cannot pay damages.
In addition, the ministry questioned the causal link between vaccination and health problems.
Compensation claims also describe other unpleasant health complications, for example, temporary paralysis of half of the face or the whole body, or a stroke followed by a fall and a broken shoulder joint.
At the beginning of February this year, State Institute for Drug Control recorded a total of 11,729 reported suspicions of adverse effects after the Covid-19 vaccination. Of course, these are only the cases reported by doctors. The total number is probably significantly higher. On the other hand, not all problems may be related to vaccination, and it is often difficult to prove such a link.
