"Promised Vaccine National Responsibility"…Vaccine Damage Group Expresses 'Anger' to Transition Team

Transition Team Announces '100-Day Roadmap for COVID-19 Emergency Response'
Part of President-Elect Yoon's Campaign Promise for 'National Responsibility System for Vaccine Side Effects'
Bereaved Families Say "National Responsibility System Missing... Causality Evaluation Criteria Too Strict"
Demand Improvements in Causality Evaluation Method and Prior Support for Victims' Families

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is attending and conversing at the secretariat meeting chaired by Ahn Cheol-soo, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, at the Presidential Transition Committee office in Tongin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Bereaved families who suffered damages from vaccination are expressing dissatisfaction with the Presidential Transition Committee’s (Transition Committee) '100-Day Roadmap for COVID-19 Emergency Response (Roadmap).' They point out that the 'National Responsibility System for COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects (Vaccine National Responsibility System),' which President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol pledged during his candidacy, was not properly reflected.

Earlier on the 27th, Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo announced a 100-day roadmap containing 34 action tasks under four directions: 'Establishing a system for science-based quarantine policy implementation,' 'Establishing a sustainable infectious disease response system,' 'Strong protection for high-risk and vulnerable groups,' and 'Securing safe vaccines and sufficient therapeutics.'

This included broad compensation for vaccine adverse reactions. Plans include expanding the diseases eligible for compensation due to vaccine adverse reactions, increasing medical expense support limits from 30 million KRW to 50 million KRW, and raising death condolence payments from 50 million KRW to 100 million KRW.

However, bereaved families of vaccine victims criticized the Transition Committee’s roadmap, saying, "The Vaccine National Responsibility System, which was the number one policy pledge of the president-elect, has disappeared." Kim Doo-kyung, chairman of the COVID-19 Vaccine Victims’ Families Association (COVAF), said at a press conference on the 28th, "On the 25th, Transition Committee spokesperson Shin Yong-hyun and other officials visited the COVAF incense altar at Cheonggye Plaza. They said they would convey our demands to the president-elect and the Transition Committee and try to improve the situation," adding, "But none of these were reflected in the subsequently announced 100-day COVID-19 emergency response roadmap, which makes us furious."

COVAF claims that the government is trying to resolve the issue only with money without clarifying causality with the vaccine. They also raised their voices, saying, "We cannot help but doubt the Vaccine National Responsibility System, the enactment of a special law, and the pledge of pre-compensation followed by post-adjustment promised by President-elect Yoon." They particularly pointed out that the evaluation criteria for judging adverse reactions are excessively strict, demanding ▲ improvement of causality evaluation methods ▲ active reflection of opinions from primary care physicians and epidemiologists ▲ and welfare-level support for victims’ families prior to causality judgment.

COVAF also demanded improvements to the Transition Committee’s plan on the 8th. When the Transition Committee decided to expand the range of adverse reactions recognized as causally related to vaccines, they requested a clear statement, saying, "They announced that adverse reactions listed by major foreign pharmaceutical departments would be recognized first, but we need a clear stance on whether Korean cases will be reviewed based on foreign cases." Regarding the condolence payment for sudden death within 30 days after vaccination, they emphasized, "For adolescents, there are many cases of death or side effects occurring after 60 days due to adverse reactions, so specifying 30 days is absolutely unacceptable."

On the 28th, a press conference rebutting the '100-Day Roadmap for Emergency Response to COVID-19' was held in front of the Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The vaccine side effect compensation plan included in the roadmap can be seen as part of the Vaccine National Responsibility System promised by President-elect Yoon during his candidacy. On December 7 last year, Won Hee-ryong, then head of the policy headquarters of the election campaign committee, announced this plan as the number one comprehensive pledge, which includes the government bearing the burden of proving causality for COVID-19 vaccine side effects and pre-paying compensation and treatment costs. Won pointed out, "There are virtually no cases recognized as causally related among those presumed to have died from vaccine side effects," emphasizing, "Vaccination is not a voluntary act but a public policy carried out according to the needs of the national community, so the government should bear the responsibility of proving causality for side effects."

The Transition Committee also stated that it would continue President-elect Yoon’s pledge by providing broad support for COVID-19 vaccine adverse reactions and significantly reducing the burden of proof on the public. At the 9th meeting of the Transition Committee’s COVID-19 Special Committee on the 7th, Chairman Ahn said, "COVID vaccines are a new platform developed recently, so there were limitations in clearly identifying the causal relationship with adverse reactions in a short period," adding, "We must provide broad and timely support for adverse reactions, expand vaccine safety research to restore trust in the government, expand the target diseases, and significantly reduce the burden of proof on the public to enable prompt and appropriate compensation and support."

Meanwhile, according to the roadmap announced by the Transition Committee, a presidential advisory body for infectious disease crisis response will be newly established. Chairman Ahn explained the purpose, saying, "Currently, one person, the Blue House’s quarantine planning officer, decides all COVID policies," adding, "It is the right direction for multiple experts to gather, collect opinions from various angles, and reach the best conclusion."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.