Islanders who were severely disabled by covid vaccines face a “difficult” process for compensation – with no one from Jersey receiving a payout so far.
Health Minister Tom Binet this week told the States Assembly that the threshold for successful claims was very high and admitted that this caused him some concern.
Responding to a question from Deputy Inna Gardiner, Deputy Binet said: “In May 2024, the government adopted the Jersey Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. So far, eight Jersey residents have applied to the scheme but, unfortunately, no one has been medically assessed as qualifying for compensation.”
He added that he had met islanders who had been affected by a vaccination and campaigners including representatives of the Vaccine Injury and Bereavement Jersey group.
“Since I have been dealing with this from a political perspective, I have found the whole situation rather difficult,” said Deputy Binet.
“Firstly, the bar for paying compensation has been set quite high and that requires 60% disability that has to be verified as having been caused as a direct consequence of a vaccination and, secondly, because for any medical assessor it is extremely difficult to ascertain what medical condition any individual may have developed post-vaccination in the ordinary course of events and that is in reference to pre-existing medical conditions.”
The UK government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme offers a one-off tax-free sum of up to £120,000 to people who have such serious adverse reactions to vaccines that they are “at least 60% disabled”.
Covid-19 injections were added to this initiative in December 2020, but Jersey was not included under the scheme until almost four years later – in May 2024.
Deputy Binet said: “In all honesty, I find myself in a very difficult position having listened to some very compelling cases – not being a doctor and not being in a position to ascertain what may or may not have been going to happen to that person without the vaccine, it is a very difficult situation indeed.”
Express previously spoke to islanders affected by vaccine injuries who felt they were not getting the help and financial support they need.
Jane Fulton was hospitalised when she lost feeling in her limbs just one week after receiving her first AstraZenaca vaccine.
She was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare condition that occurs when the immune system attacks the nervous system. It can be triggered by bacterial and viral infections and, in some cases, vaccines.
A correlation between a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and a small but significant rise in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome has been identified by UCL scientists, as part of an analysis of NHS data.
Documents seen by Express confirm Jane’s official diagnosis as “Guillain-Barré syndrome following first dose of AstraZeneca covid vaccine”.
She was paralysed from the eyebrows down, and spent five days in a coma and almost four months in hospital.
Jane said that her life “will never be the same again” as a result of the vaccine – but she was told that she is “not disabled enough” to claim compensation under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
“I just think it should be recognised that the injection actually did disable people,” she said.
“I feel sorry for all the other people that have been damaged by it.”
Danielle Hervé set up the Vaccine Injured & Bereaved Jersey community support group after she lost her father shortly after he received his second covid vaccine.
She described the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme as “not fit for purpose” and “woefully inadequate”, with “fundamental flaws”.
Danni said: “To qualify, individuals must prove 60% disability, an extraordinarily high threshold, together with the issue of ‘causation’ which is proving difficult to establish.
“Many healthcare professionals are reluctant to acknowledge vaccine injury either through ignorance or avoidance, leaving those affected in an impossible position: unable to access meaningful medical care, and unable to move forward with a claim.
“This creates not only a medical and financial burden, but a deep emotional wound – a sense of being abandoned.”
She added that many of those suffering had not attempted to claim compensation under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme process because of the “enormous barriers” – including lack of information, medical denial, stigma, or simply having no strength left to fight.
“In Jersey very few people have pursued a claim; that does not, however, mean that there are not a significant amount of people who should be supported in making a claim,” she said.