Who could be eligible as RFK Jr looks to pay people who claim to have side effects from Covid vaccine
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is said to be reviewing plans to make it easier for people to get compensation for injuries they claim came from Covid-19 vaccines.
The health department says its will release more details surrounding the health plan in November, though an initial announcement — which was detailed in a note on their website earlier this month — has provided some information.
Kennedy's department will later disclose a list of injuries which could be brought about because of Covid-19 vaccines.
The so-called 'injury table' would be compiled 'based on compelling, reliable, valid, medical, and scientific evidence' that are 'presumed to be caused by covered COVID-19 countermeasures'.
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The health department's website adds: "One way that an individual who was administered or used a covered countermeasure can show that they sustained a covered injury is by demonstrating that they sustained an injury listed on a Countermeasures Injury Table (Table) within the time interval set forth on the Table."
The announcement has been met with some criticism given claims do not require people to prove the cause of their injuries.
Pharmaceutical attorney Richard Hughes IV has expressed his concerns surrounding the health departmen 's recent announcement, especially with concerns of a lack of evidence needed to make a compensation claim.
“That would be scientifically unsound,” the expert told The Hill, before noting it would be 'politically useful in the current environment'.
Hughes went on to say 'compelling, reliable, valid, medical and scientific evidence' would legally be required to make a claim.
He added: "In plain terms, timing alone is not enough. Suspicion is not enough. Political pressure is not enough. The statute requires strong medical and scientific evidence of direct causation."
Covid vaccines have been proven to be largely effective, though in extreme cases, some folks have reported side effects such as myocarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart.
Despite that small risk, Dr. Joseph Wu, director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, said that getting vaccines remains vital as 'Covid’s worse'.
Kennedy has denied on several occasions that he's anti-vaccination, though he has previously made claims about vaccine safety, which have been debunked by health experts.
He falsely told Fox News in 2023 that 'autism comes from vaccines', despite the fact several studies have found zero correlation between vaccines and the development of the neurodevelopmental disorder.
UNILAD has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.
Topics: Robert F Kennedy Jr , Health
Callum Jones