Federal compensation for Canadians injured by COVID-19 vaccines is expected to surpass its original budget, according to a Department of Health memo made public recently.
Blacklock's Reporter says the warning came just days after new data revealed that more than $16 million had already been paid to families of patients who suffered death or injury from government-approved COVID-19 shots.
The Pan-Canadian Vaccine Injury Support Program was initially allocated $75 million for its first five years, with an additional $9 million in ongoing annual funding.
However, the memo, titled Funding For The Pan-Canadian Vaccine Injury Support Program, acknowledged that final costs would depend on the number of claims and compensation awarded, adding that "demand remains at very high levels."
The program is intended to provide financial support for individuals in Canada who experience a serious and permanent injury after receiving a Health Canada-authorized vaccine administered on or after December 8, 2020.
The memo did not estimate how many additional millions may be needed beyond the original $75 million allocation.
The document, dated December 17, followed a December 1 update showing that 3,060 claims had been received to date, with 219 approved for compensation totaling $16,574,972.
Approved claims have included reimbursement for medical expenses and funeral costs.
Dr. Supriya Sharma, senior medical advisor to the health department, previously cautioned that the long-term effects of COVID-19 vaccines remained uncertain.
“The benefits outweigh the potential risks but it is still a drug and still a vaccine and there are potential risks even if they’re rare,” said Sharma.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam also stressed early in the pandemic that the vaccines would not be 100% effective.
Speaking at a Carleton University videoconference in 2020, Tam said, “We have never said the vaccine was going to be a hundred percent effective.”
She added that while rapid development of the vaccines raised some public concern, fast-tracking the process did not mean skipping safety measures.
“Everyone is an armchair epidemiologist,” Tam said of the public scrutiny during the pandemic. “I find the whole thing a bit sort of surreal.”
