A man in his 60s who developed capillary leak syndrome after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been awarded NT$400,000 (US$12,509) in compensation by the government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

The man, surnamed Chang (張), was the first person to be compensated due to developing the rare capillary disorder, according to meeting minutes published by the VICP Saturday.

The VICP said that it had been unable to definitively determine if Chang had developed the syndrome as a result of receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Capillary leak syndrome, a potentially fatal condition capable of causing organ failure, occurs when plasma in an individual’s blood leaks out of capillaries into surrounding tissues.

The VICP decided to award Chang NT$400,000 in compensation in accordance with the Regulations Governing Collection and Review of Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund, according to the published meeting minutes.

In June last year, the European Union’s European Medicines Agency of the European Union advised that people with a history of capillary leak syndrome should not receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Meanwhile, the VICP also decided that an individual with a history of asthma who experienced an acute asthma attack 30 minutes after being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine should receive NT$20,000 in compensation.

Another individual who developed complications of thrombocytopenia, a rare blood-clotting condition, 15 days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine was awarded NT$20,000 in compensation.

The VICP panel also declared that two individuals who suffered an adverse reaction to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine should receive NT$50,000 and NT$10,000, respectively, in compensation.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel