Unascertained side effects of a vaccine and the lack of damages law

While the mechanism for compensating people who have had AEFI during a clinical trial is present, there is no such formal system for compensation when a vaccine is in the market.

Vaccines for Covid-19 are in the works at an unprecedented speed, thanks to new technology, urgency and speedy approvals. Trials that usually take years have been reduced to mere months.
 

However, the temporary halt in AstraZeneca’s vaccine trials, in which one participant developed symptoms consistent with transverse myelitis, has fuelled scepticism. To address this, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan offered to become the first person to be vaccinated.
 

With countries despairing as economies grapple with the pandemic, governments are queuing up to sign contracts with vaccine makers, many of whom are asking for indemnification against future product liability claims.
 

Such indemnification