In a tragic incident, an NHS pharmacist named John Cross took his own life after suffering paralyzing complications from a COVID vaccine.
Cross was informed by the official medical assessor for the government's compensation scheme for vaccine damage that the jab had caused his rare neurological effects, but he was deemed not disabled enough to receive a payment.
After spending seven months in the hospital and experiencing chronic pain and numbness, Cross's mental health deteriorated and he ultimately took his own life. His family is now calling for urgent reform of the compensation scheme.
The family believes that the system is unjust and wants to bring about change in memory of their father.
The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was established to provide a one-time payment to individuals who experience severe side effects from vaccines, but Cross's claim was rejected after a two-year delay and without a face-to-face assessment. The family's solicitor revealed that medical assessors struggle to accurately assess complex vaccine damage and that the disability threshold is often misunderstood.
Since the COVID vaccine rollout, there have been 14,000 claims to the scheme, with only 180 people receiving a payment and 350 people being told that the vaccine caused their complications but did not meet the disability threshold.
The Department of Health has stated that reform of the compensation scheme will be investigated as part of the ongoing COVID Inquiry. The Cross family is urging the government to take action and make changes to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
