What is an expected vaccination reaction, what is a serious side effect? Shortly after Christmas 2020, the first people in Germany will be vaccinated against the corona virus. In some cases, people are permanently impaired.
Bayreuth (dpa / lby) - Around two years after the start of vaccination against the corona virus, permanent vaccine-related health damage has so far been recognized in 55 people in Bavaria. 492 other applications were rejected, 19 were withdrawn. 786 applications were still being processed (as of December 20, 2022), according to the responsible Bavarian Family and Social Center (ZBFS) in Bayreuth. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), almost 29 million doses of vaccine against Covid-19 have been administered in Bavaria since the start of the vaccination campaign.
As ZBFS spokesman Benjamin Vrban emphasizes, one speaks of vaccine damage when there is a health and economic consequence that goes beyond the usual extent of a vaccine reaction - for example, myocarditis. The damage must be permanent, i.e. at least six months.
"A side effect, on the other hand, is usually a normal or even desired reaction of the body to the vaccination," explains Vrban. This could include pain and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, chills, joint pain, fever and nausea. "If someone experiences such a side effect after a vaccination, this does not trigger a claim for compensation. There is then no vaccination damage."
According to Vrban, applications for compensation are also rejected if the health disorder cannot be causally attributed to the vaccination with the necessary probability. "Often there is a purely coincidental temporal connection between a vaccination and the occurrence of a health disorder without there being a real cause-and-effect relationship."
The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) is responsible for the safety of vaccines in Germany - according to this, seven vaccines against the corona virus are approved in Germany. The effectiveness of these vaccines has been scientifically proven. It is also known that there are often temporary reactions such as the "vaccination arm" or headaches, but extremely rarely serious side effects.
In the past, there have been several attempts by opponents of vaccination, for example, to prove an allegedly unrecognized high number of corona vaccination side effects. So far, however, there is no evidence of this. "These vaccines and their side effects are now well known - including very rare side effects," writes the PEI.
However, if there is permanent damage to health, those affected are entitled to compensation. In the case of a vaccination that is officially recommended by a country, the right to social compensation applies according to the law in the event of vaccination damage - those affected are then entitled to state benefits.
The Federal Supply Act is decisive. Depending on the severity, vaccination victims are entitled to a basic pension - from 164 to 854 euros per month, as Vrban explains. Additional payments are also possible, depending on the vaccination damage and the economic situation of the person concerned. In addition, there could be medical and medical treatment services (e.g. speech therapy) and the provision of aids such as a special bed. "The amount of the payments is adjusted annually to compensate for inflation," says Vrban.
"Anyone who suffers a loss of professional income as a result of vaccination damage can be entitled to compensation for the reduced income through the so-called occupational damage compensation," explains Vrban. "In extreme cases (...) the sum of the monthly benefits can be up to 15,000 euros." How much has already been paid across Bavaria in the past two years for those affected due to vaccinations against the corona virus is unknown.
"We cannot provide precise information on this because in the recognized cases not all possible services have been checked or approved and our statistics do not differentiate between the different types of vaccines," explains Vrban.
If the authority rejects an application for compensation, the person concerned can also sue. According to Vrban, ten lawsuits have been filed with the social courts in Bavaria so far, but no final decisions have yet been made.
