Regional body Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS) has recommended that compensation be made to citizens of member nations who suffer any form of side effect as a result of the Covid-19 vaccination.
The move according to the ECOWAS Vaccines Taskforce will encourage people to accept the COVID-19 vaccines and has been presented to the ECOWAS Ministerial Coordinating Committee.
The Director-General of the West African Health Organization (WAHO), Stanley Okolo, made this known at the 5th Regional Steering Committee meeting of the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement Programme (REDISSE) held virtually on Saturday.
“Normally, vaccine development takes five years or even, seven, eight years. Now, therefore, we have to think of how to share the indemnity in terms of if any problem develops,” Mr Okolo said.
He observed that the issue of indemnity is being taken up by COVAX.
“That is one of the issues now being taken up by COVAX, the global body that has been set up by WHO to look at how they indemnify some of the companies regarding the vaccines they supplied.
“It’s not so much as indemnify but making sure there are reasoned claims against the companies.
“One of the resolutions is that member countries should ensure that they support so that if there is any significant side effects or injury, that member states should look to compensate those citizens.”