Extension of Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for COVID-19 Vaccination under National Vaccination Programme to Delayed Serious Side Effect Cases

NOTICE PAPER NO. 879 

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 12 JANUARY 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim

MP for Choa Chu Kang GRC

Question No. 1386

To ask the Minister for Health whether the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for COVID-19 vaccination under the National Vaccination Programme can be extended to cases where the serious side effects only appear after a considerable period of time after vaccination, provided there is clear expert corroboration of the correlation between the serious side effects and the vaccine received.

Answer

       Serious side effects caused by vaccines are rare. This applies for COVID-19 vaccines or vaccines protecting against other conditions. Most side-effects are mild, appear within the first three days and resolve with no treatment. Rarely, side effects can develop up to six weeks after vaccination. 

2      Applications for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for COVID-19 Vaccination (VIFAP), will be considered thoroughly, taking into account the details of the medical episode that occurred post-vaccination, together with scientific information and evidence.