020 7650 1200

Vaccine for COVID-19

Covid Inquiry to hear from lawyer taking on AstraZeneca on behalf of those seriously injured or bereaved as a result of Covid-19 vaccine

Leigh Day lawyer Sarah Moore will give evidence to Module 4 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry concerning the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) on Wednesday 29 January 2025.

Posted on 27 January 2025

Module 4 of the inquiry is looking at issues relating to the development of Covid-19 vaccines and the implementation of the vaccine rollout programme in the UK.

Established under the 1979 Vaccine Damage Payment Act, the VDPS has been under public scrutiny since the pandemic, with lawyers and campaign groups arguing the scheme offers too little support, too late, to too few people.  

Currently, to be eligible for VDPS compensation, capped at £120,000, applicants must meet a 60 per cent disability threshold, criticised for being based on “outdated” concepts of industrial injury and disablement.

Sarah Moore represents a group of 49 claimants who have been seriously injured or bereaved as a result of a side-effect of the AstraZeneca (AZUK) Covid-19 vaccine.

Earlier this month, Kate Scott, whose husband Jamie Scott was left with brain damage after receiving the AZUK vaccine, gave evidence to Module 4 of the inquiry on behalf of Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK - a group of individuals and families severely injured or bereaved as a result of receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.

Represented by Sarah Moore, Jamie suffered vaccine-induced Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis and has been left with permanent brain damage and disability after he received the AZUK vaccine in April 2021.

Last year, three women including Kate Scott, whose loved ones lost their lives or suffered life-changing injuries after receiving the vaccine, met with Health Secretary Wes Streeting to make their case for a reform of the VDPS.  

This came after AZUK formally admitted its COVID-19 vaccine can cause a rare side-effect known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.  

The Health Secretary has now written to Kate, saying he has “commissioned officials to work up a number of options” to reform the current VDPS.

The issue was the focus of a BBC documentary highlighting the plight of families whose loved ones suffered a severe and life-changing effect after being given the AZUK vaccine.

Sarah Moore said:

“It is a privilege to be invited to provide evidence at the Covid-19 Inquiry on this vital issue. The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, as it currently stands, fails to meet the needs of those who have been seriously injured or bereaved due to vaccine side effects. By reforming the VDPS to ensure it is fair, accessible, and adequately resourced, we can address the hardships faced by affected individuals and their families while maintaining public trust in vaccination programmes.

“A VDPS that is fit for purpose has the potential to support and maintain vaccine confidence in the UK by reassuring the public that any rare adverse events are met with timely and adequate responses. This is an opportunity to address longstanding shortcomings in the scheme and set a standard for how we care for those who bear the unintended consequences of public health measures.” 

Profile
Sarah Moore
International Product safety

Sarah Moore

Leading international and product safety lawyer

News Article
Medical Consultation
Covid-19

Covid Inquiry to hear from representative of those seriously injured or bereaved as a result of AstraZeneca vaccine

The wife of a man left with brain damage after receiving the AstraZeneca (AZUK) vaccine is due to give evidence to Module 4 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Wednesday 15 January 2025.

News Article
Wes Streeting With Astrazeneca Clients
Vaccine Product safety Group claims

Vaccine tragedy: Campaigners’ hopes raised by meeting with Wes Streeting

Three women whose loved ones lost their lives or suffered life-changing injuries after receiving the AstraZeneca covid vaccine met Health Secretary Wes Streeting to make their case for a reform of the Vaccine Damages Payment Scheme (VDPS).