Serious adverse side effects from vaccines are extremely rare–less than one in a million, but they do happen and the Canadian government has announced that it will compensate people who suffer from one. The province of Quebec already has such a program, but Canada as a whole was the only G7 country that did not.
The news comes as Canada is set to roll out the new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The government may be seeking to reassure Canadians about the vaccine since about 75 per cent of the population needs to take it for there to be herd immunity, or enough immunity in the general population to stop the spread of this coronavirus.
Some people are reticent
A recent survey suggests that 22 per cent of respondents did not intend to get this vaccine and 22 per cent did not know whether they would. Normally, only nine per cent of Canadians think vaccines are dangerous. In Canada, vaccines are tested extensively and must be scientifically proven to be safe before they are approved for use. People may be more concerned about the COVID-19 vaccine because it has been developed so quickly. The Pfizer vaccine was developed in less than a year but was tested on 44,000 people and found to have few side effects. The roll out in the U.K. uncovered a few reactions involving people with pre-existing severe allergies and its health authorities have advised people with such allergies to not get this vaccine for now.
The Canadian government assures people that it has studied the COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer and deems it safe and effective. ((Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press)
Outcomes will be monitored
Companies that make COVID-19 vaccines, health care professionals, and Canadian governments will to monitor people’s response to them to study any adverse reactions. A former health minister, Jane Philpott points out that the adverse reactions to COVID-19 are much more common than are adverse reactions to vaccinations. In other words, getting the vaccine will be safer by far, than is getting the disease. She estimates that 25 Canadians may suffer a serious outcome from a COVID-19 vaccination or 0.1 per 100,000 doses administered.
The government’s new, no-fault compensation program means that any person suffering a serious adverse side effect from any government approved vaccine will be able to apply for support without having to hire a lawyer and go to court.
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