The Ministry of Health said on 25 January that a total of 413 people have received payouts under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (ViFap), with a total of $1,895,000 being paid or offered to applicants, as of 31 December 2022, according to The Straits Times.
About 3 applicants have received the Tier 1 payout of $225,000, which is given to those who have died or become permanently disabled from the Covid vaccine.
Among the recipients was a 16-year-old boy who suffered a cardiac arrest in 2021 6 days after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnanty vaccine, after a weightlifting session – the boy ended up in the ICU and went through inpatient rehabilitation.
For persons who experienced serious side effects from the Covid vaccines, Vifap provides a one-time “goodwill financial assistance” to the applicants.
Eligible applicants are required to be Singapore citizens, PRs or long-term pass holders who have been vaccinated under the national vaccination programme.
Among the requirements, include, the experience of a serious side effect that required inpatient hospitalisations, persistent incapacity or disability, or is fatal – it needs to be assessed by a doctor, or be related to the vaccination.