In comparison to the number of vaccines administered in the United States each year, vaccine injuries are extremely rare. However, with hundreds of millions of vaccines administered annually, the total number of vaccine injuries is still significant. This is a fact that cannot be ignored, but one Harvard vaccinologist says it isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Learn more from the vaccine injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Leah V. Durant & Associates:
Vaccine Injuries Require More Empathy—and More Investment
An article published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shares the thoughts of vaccinologist Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire. An assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases, Corbett-Helaire explains that individuals who have experienced vaccine injuries, “deserve empathy from their doctors and other health care providers, as well as from those who set and drive vaccine policy.” As she goes on to explain:
“People who feel they have been harmed by a vaccine do not need to have the science immediately explained to them. What they first need is to be heard, and then assured that science will follow. . . . [and t]he only way that science can move forward is if it’s strategically funded.”
Summarizing Corbett-Helaire’s thoughts, the article states that, ultimately, “[m]ore empathy—and investment—is needed to address vaccine-related injuries.”
One of the core concerns that Corbett-Helaire addresses is the risk of people who report vaccine injuries being labeled as vaccine skeptics. In an opinion piece Corbett-Helaire published in the journal STAT, she specifically addresses concerns related to COVID-19 vaccines:
“There has been increased attention on people who report long-term negative effects of Covid-19 vaccines. They are not conspiracy theorists or vaccine skeptics. They are, among others, scientists who appreciate the enormous value of vaccines.”
However, this is a concern more broadly as well. As Corbett-Helaire—among many other experts—makes clear, despite the overall safety of the CDC-approved vaccines administered in the United States, vaccine injuries are still an unavoidable issue. From severe allergic reactions to shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration (SIRVA), various types of vaccine injury risks are going to exist no matter how much time and effort goes into making vaccines as safe as possible.
This is where empathy for those who have experienced vaccine injuries comes into play. It is also where investing not only in vaccine safety, but also monitoring, diagnosing and treating vaccine injuries, becomes essential.
Acknowledging that vaccines present injury risks is not an anti-vaccine stance. It is a recognition of the science and data that exist today. Some of this data comes from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The VICP is a federal government program that serves as a source of financial compensation for individuals and families who are coping with the effects of vaccine injuries.
According to the latest data from the VICP:
- More than five billion doses of CDC-recommended vaccines have been administered in the United States since 1988. Over this same time period, just under 27,000 vaccine recipients and families have filed claims under the VICP.
- Of the approximately 27,000 claims filed under the VICP, approximately 12,000 have resulted in compensation awards. This includes both settlements with the federal government and awards issued by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (also known as the vaccine court).
- There has been an increase in vaccine injury claims filed under the VICP in recent years. After a peak of 2,592 claims filed in 2003, we saw more than a decade where fewer than 1,000 claims were filed each year. However, since 2016, at least 1,029 claims have been filed each year.
- With the annual flu shot being the most popular vaccine in the United States by far, approximately two thirds of all successful VICP claims have involved vaccine injuries related to the flu shot.
- The costs associated with vaccine injuries are substantial. For example, during the 2024 fiscal year, the VICP compensated 1,221 claims, awarding a total of just under $150 million. This equates to an average of around $122,000 per successful claim.
It is important to note that the VICP does not cover COVID-19 vaccines; and, as a result, its data do not encompass vaccine injuries related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, COVID-19 vaccine injury claims are currently covered under the federal Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP). The VICP and CICP are very different, and the CICP reportedly has a substantial backlog of pending claims involving COVID-19 vaccine injuries.
While additional investment may be needed into providing care to those who are coping with the effects of vaccine injuries, the VICP currently has plenty of funding available to cover qualifying claims. The VICP is funded through an excise tax on vaccine doses administered in the United States; and, although the VICP has paid more than $4.7 billion to successful claimants, it still has billions of dollars in funds currently being held in trust.
What Does All of this Mean for You?
If you or a loved one has experienced a vaccine injury, what does all of this mean for you? Most importantly, it means you should not ignore your concerns—and you should not be hesitant about coming forward. Medical and legal help are both available; and, if you are eligible to file a VICP claim, our vaccine injury attorneys can handle your claim at no out-of-pocket cost to you. When it comes to protecting your legal rights, it costs nothing to ensure that you are making informed decisions; and, if you are eligible to file a claim, you could be entitled to significant financial compensation.
Contact Our Vaccine Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation Today
Would you like to know more about filing a claim under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)? If so, we invite you to contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. To speak with one of our experienced vaccine injury attorneys in confidence, give us a call at 202-775-9200 or tell us how we can get in touch online today.
Categories: vaccine injury
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