South Korea Launches Formal Review Process for COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse reaction Claims
Seoul, south Korea – A new system for evaluating and compensating individuals experiencing adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination took effect today, October 23rd, under the “Special Act on Compensation for Damage from COVID-19 Vaccination, etc.” The Korea Disease control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) will now formally review applications, aiming for consistent and fair support for citizens who experienced health issues after vaccination.
the KDCA has assembled committees comprised of experts in medicine, pharmacy, immunology, microbiology, public management, sociology, and law to assess claims from multiple perspectives. Deliberations will focus on the temporal relationship between vaccination and adverse events, estimates of causal links, and detailed support project standards.
New applicants-those who haven’t previously sought compensation-will have their cases initially reviewed by the Damage Compensation Committee.Individuals disagreeing with the committee’s decision can file a single objection with the KDCA Director, via their local public health center, within 90 days of notification. These objections will be reviewed by a separate reconsideration committee.
Those who previously applied for compensation have until October 23rd of next year-one year after the law’s enactment-to request a reconsideration, which will be directly handled by the reconsideration committee, bypassing the initial Damage Compensation committee review. Decisions made by the reconsideration committee are final; no further appeals are permitted.
Individuals who received a compensation decision under the ‘infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act’ and subsequently pursued a final court ruling are ineligible for retrial under the new act.
Prior to the act’s implementation, the KDCA provided online training to staff at public health centers, which serve as the primary point of contact for applicants.
“We will do our best to ensure that compensation and support for citizens who participated in vaccination in the process of overcoming the COVID-19 crisis are consistent with the purpose of the enactment of the ‘COVID-19 Damage Compensation Special Act’,” stated Lim Seung-gwan, Director of the KDCA.
