COVID-19: ECOWAS Recommends Compensation For Vaccine Side Effects, Injury

The ECOWAS Vaccines Taskforce has recommended compensation for citizens who suffer side effects or injury from the  COVID-19 vaccination.

This is one of the resolutions adopted by the task force and presented to the ECOWAS Ministerial Coordinating Committee to encourage citizens to receive the vaccines.

The Director- General, the West African Health Organization, Prof Stanley Okolo, disclosed this at the  5th Regional Steering Committee meeting of the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement Programme project on Friday.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,  were given the COVID-19 vaccine in Abuja on Saturday.

Over 2.5 million Nigerians have already registered to receive the jab.

Speaking at the virtual REDISSE meeting, Okolo explained that the issue of indemnity was being taken up by the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, the global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines led by the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and others.

The WAHO DG said, “Normally,  vaccine development takes five years or even, seven, eight years. Now, therefore, we have to think of how to share the indemnity in terms of if any problem develops.

“That is one of the issues now being taken up by COVAX, the global body that has been set up by WHO, GAVID  to look at how they indemnify some of the companies regarding the vaccines they supplied. It is making sure there are reasoned claims against the companies.

“But in addition, member countries,  whether in Africa, Europe or Asia have to think about the supplementary or residual indemnity for their people and that’s one of the things that we are discussing in the ECOWAS Vaccines Taskforce and we have already shared it with the 5th Ministerial Coordinating Committee and one of the resolutions is that member countries should ensure that they support so that if there is any significant side effects or injury, we haven’t seen that yet in countries that are vaccinated widely, that member states should look to compensate those citizens.”