Campaigners are calling on the Government to implement a fair compensation scheme to support people who suffered complications linked to the Vaxzevria Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

A group action claim has been launched by Sarah Moore of law firm Leigh Day under section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 against the pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca.

Fifty claimants represented by Ms Moore are pursuing the claim due to injuries allegedly caused by the vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca UK Limited (AZUK), while 11 are acting on the behalf of a loved one who died following a complication allegedly caused by it.

The claimants say they, or their loved one, suffered Vaccine Induced Immune Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia (VITT) which is a form of Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) as a direct result of the AZUK vaccine.

Kerry Hurt, who suffered a stroke after having the Covid jab in 2021. Her life has been totally changed and she has mobility problems. She is working with law firm Leigh Day to call on the Government to provide fair compensation to people who had a terrible reaction to Covid jab, Osborne Road, Kiveton, Sheffield. Picture taken by Yorkshire Post Photographer Simon Hulme 21st May 2024

placeholder image — Kerry Hurt, who suffered a stroke after having the Covid jab in 2021. Her life has been totally changed and she has mobility problems. She is working with law firm Leigh Day to call on the Government to provide fair compensation to people who had a terrible reaction to Covid jab, Osborne Road, Kiveton, Sheffield. Picture taken by Yorkshire Post Photographer Simon Hulme 21st May 2024

Ms Moore is calling for the government to review the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, which was set up in 1979 as a temporary measure to provide a lump-sum payment to individuals who had become severely disabled as a result of a vaccination recommended by the Government.

Leigh Day said in a statement: “The threshold for the VDPS payment requires the applicant to demonstrate that their injuries have rendered them 60 per cent disabled to qualify for a one-off payment of £120,000. The scheme has been criticised for many years for its inaccessibility and the low and arbitrary figure awarded to individuals and families whose care needs and losses will in some cases run into millions of pounds.”

One of Ms Moore’s clients, Kerry Hurt said she was fit and healthy before she had the Astrazeneca jab on April 1 2021.

Ms Hurt, who lives in Sheffield, said: “A week later, I had a bad headache and blurry eyes. I had an MRI scan which showed I had a huge blood clot on my brain and a blood clot in my leg. I was blue-lighted to Hallamshire General Hospital where the doctors told me it was due to the vaccine.

“I have been offered £120,000 by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme but this is nowhere near enough. I have to pay a physio around £1,000 a month and have had to adapt my home. I want a fair compensation package which reflects the fact I will need support for the rest of my life.”

Ms Moore added: “Vaccination is a crucial part of any public health policy. However, vaccination programmes only work if people are willing to volunteer for vaccination. That requires people to have confidence not only in the safety of the vaccines, but also in the fact that in the rare event that something goes wrong their families will be looked after.”

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. Patient safety is our highest priority. From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This Government is committed to learning lessons through the Covid-19 inquiry. Throughout the pandemic the health system responded quickly to reports of extremely rare cases of complications following vaccination.”

Special reports on The Yorkshire Post website and newspaper this weekend