First covid vaccine damage payment confirmed for widow

A woman whose fiancé died after having the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine will become the first person in the UK to receive a Covid vaccine damage payment of £120,000.

Until now, no lump sums have been issued to more than 1,300 people who claimed damage claimants for Covid jab-related injuries and bereavements, despite reports more than 400,000 people have reported vaccine side effects to the Yellow Card Scheme.

But after months of campaigning, widow Vikki Spit has announced she was to receive one following the death of her 48-year-old musician partner and husband-to-be, Zion.

Vikki, 39, said she finally feels as if she has recognition but is vowing to fight on for others - many of whom could now be due a pay-out themselves.

“It’s the first step in the battle," Vikki said. "People can no longer sneer at us and say 'we’re making stuff up' and pretending we don’t exist.

“This isn’t about money as nothing can bring back the people we have lost. This is about recognition.

“I think it is disgusting that widows and injured people have had to fight for a year to get this support, we aren’t finished yet."

The Vaccine Damage Payment scheme operating under the NHS Business Services Authority made the landmark decision on Vikki's case last week and the decision is set to prompt calls for other claimants to receive payments too.

Ms Spit’s partner, musician Lord Zion, died two weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine in May 2021. It was later confirmed by a coroner that his death was caused as a direct result of the jab.