Norwegian experts believe that future research will allow more people who were injected with covid-19 to receive compensation for side effects and vaccine damage. This could open the door to reconsidering previously rejected compensation claims.
In Norway, healthcare professionals or patients have reported more than 8,000 cases of suspected adverse reactions to the covid-19 vaccine. The Norwegian Patient Injury Fund (NPE) has so far received more than 1,500 claims for compensation for post-injection side effects, but the fund has rejected more than twice as many as it has approved.
However, experts predict that future research will improve understanding of the side effects associated with covid-19 vaccines, which could lead to more people becoming eligible for compensation.
– I believe that in the future we will get more answers about which side effects can be explained as related to the coronavirus vaccine. Then we can learn from that. Then we will see if we should reopen old refusals because new knowledge indicates that there is still a connection, Anne-Mette Gulaker, head of the NPE department, told the national broadcaster NRK.
Pernille Harg, senior advisor at the Norwegian Medical Products Agency, agrees that new ADR problems are likely to be discovered in the future, especially for long-term conditions.
– I think it’s likely that new ADRs will continue to emerge, perhaps especially for long-term conditions, she says.
“Complete scandal”
Despite the fact that some Norwegians are being denied, Gulaker says the compensation scheme is good and that the rules for compensation for vaccine injuries are “generous”.
– I would say it’s a good system. The challenge with the Covid vaccine is that there is still a lot of research to be done on side effects, she says.
But members of VaxVeritas, an organization that supports people affected by vaccine injuries, criticize the authorities’ handling of the case. Karl-Erik Hordnes, founder of VaxVeritas and a victim himself, describes the situation as a “complete scandal”, something we reported on previously.
– I think the lack of follow-up by the health authorities and the lack of recognition through compensation for patient injuries is a complete scandal, he said.
Assessments for compensation are based on recommendations from the Norwegian Medicines Agency. So far, most compensation in Norway has been awarded for menstrual disorders and for myocarditis and pericarditis, which are already known side effects of the covid-19 vaccine.
