Gov't triples compensation for Covid-19 vaccine deaths to 30 million won

A person gets tested for Covid-19 at a test center in Yongsan on Aug. 31. [YONHAP]

The government will triple compensation to the families of people who died from Covid-19 vaccine-related side effects to 30 million won ($22,500).

The government and the People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday agreed to expand support for individuals who experienced adverse effects from Covid-19 vaccinations.

The families of people who died within 42 days of receiving the vaccine and whose autopsy results were inconclusive are currently eligible to a 10 million won payment.

The families of 56 victims have been compensated since July last year, when the compensation system was first adopted.
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The government and the PPP not only raised the compensation amount, but also relaxed the conditions for receiving compensation.

Under the new agreement, the families of individuals who died within 90 days of vaccination will be qualified for compensation, instead of the current 42 days.

Furthermore, the families of individuals who died before the compensation system was established may now be eligible for 20 million won in compensation, even if an autopsy was not performed.

Their death certificate has to state that the cause of death was inconclusive.

Additionally, the government plans to establish a committee that would review past cases in which compensation applications were denied as the deaths were judged to have no connection to the vaccine.

If a person died within three days of getting vaccinated but compensation was denied due to pre-existing medical conditions, the committee will review if the family is eligible for 10 million won in compensation.

There had been several cases where compensation was denied due pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes.

“Our party and the government have come to an agreement where we saw the need for the government to take greater responsibility for those affected by the vaccine,” said Park Dae-chul, head of the party’s policy committee.

“Our party had stressed that the government should show accountability to the people who trusted the government amid the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis and took the vaccine.”

Additionally, the government decided to discontinue its legal battles with families of individuals suspected of dying from the Covid-19 vaccine who were previously denied government compensation.

"We will continue to work on improving the system based on studies of patients suspected of related diseases so that those who affected by the vaccine can get support for their medical bills or compensation for their deaths."

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday, the number of people infected with Covid-19 continued to fall.

Between Aug. 27 and Aug. 31, the daily average of new cases dropped 3.9 percent compared to the previous week to 181,451 people.

This marks the third consecutive week of declining infections.

However, despite the decrease in critical cases, the number of deaths related to Covid-19 increased compared to the previous week.

The number of patients in intensive care decreased from 235 to 223, while the number of deaths rose from 132 to 157 during the five-day period.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]