Teen In Singapore Receives RM701K After Experiencing Severe COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects
The Singaporean government kick-started a Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme earlier this year to grant those taking the COVID-19 jab some assurance and peace of mind.
By Arisha Rozaidee — 18 Aug 2021, 05:29 PM
A teenager in Singapore received a SGD225,000 (RM701,039.11) payout from the government after experiencing severe side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine
According to The Straits Times, the 16-year-old boy suffered a cardiac arrest after his first dose of the vaccine.
On Monday, 16 August, the Ministry of Health (MOH) Singapore said that the teen, who is currently undergoing inpatient rehabilitation, will likely be discharged in the coming weeks.
Six days after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, the teen collapsed at home following a gym weightlifting session
He had developed acute severe myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, which led to cardiac arrest.
MOH also told The Straits Times that the myocarditis was likely a serious adverse event caused by the vaccine, which may have been aggravated by the teen's strenuous lifting of weights and high consumption of caffeine through energy drinks and supplements.
When the boy first experienced the cardiac arrest, he made headlines as health authorities tried to investigate the cause.
In a previous report by TODAYonline, the medical services director at MOH, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, said that the boy had been lifting weights that were nearly twice his body weight and described it as an "exceptional activity to undertake in the gym".
The Singaporean government kick-started a Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) earlier this year to grant those taking the COVID-19 jab some assurance and peace of mind
Under the programme, a one-time payout will be given to those who experience severe medical side effects.
According to the MOH website, the amount of financial assistance provided through VIFAP is fixed and depends on the severity of the side effect.
These side effects and their respective one-time payouts under VIFAP are classified into three categories.
Under the first category, patients who experience side effects resulting in death or permanent severe disability can receive a one-time payout of SGD225,000.
Meanwhile, the second category applies to cases that require admission to high dependency or intensive care wards with subsequent recovery. Applicants can get up to SGD10,000 (RM31,157.29).
The last category applies to patients who need inpatient hospitalisation and medical intervention, with subsequent recovery. They can receive a one-time payout of SGD2,000 (RM6,231.46).
The teenager, along with another patient, are the only two individuals to have received the highest payout of SGD225,000.
