The unheard ‘scandal’: Covid-19 vaccine-injured people's perceptions of the national redress scheme and trust in the government in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article examines 218 Covid-19 vaccine-injured people's experiences of the process of seeking redress from the UK Government's Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Moreover, it engages with the wider topic of how we can understand the government(s)’ role in dealing with an ‘emergency’ (the Covid-19 pandemic) and the consequent (global) health crisis. Vaccine-injured individuals and communities perceive suffering health problems after Covid-19 vaccination as a ‘tragedy’, which requires an adequate response. However, the VDPS often does not meet their expectations, which fuels the vaccine-injured community's narratives around an emerging ‘scandal’ over inadequate redress provision for those who suffered adverse effects following Covid-19 vaccines. These perceptions and meaning-making are in stark contrast to the fact that the wider population is unaffected by these issues and are generally not aware of the harms suffered or of the VDPS.