Who is liable for any vaccination damage?
The Epidemics Act provides for a government compensation system for cases of severe side effects of a vaccination recommended by the authorities. However, compensation will only be paid for damages that are not otherwise covered (subsidiary liability). In other words, a person suffering damages is only entitled to compensation if the damage has not already been covered by the vaccine manufacturer (product liability), the person administering the vaccination (medical liability) or by social or private insurance.
Federal government compensation is thus intended to mitigate the consequences for those affected if third parties such as the person administering the vaccination or the vaccine manufacturer are not liable. Entitlement to compensation from the federal government will be assessed in each individual case.
You’ll find more information on the Entschädigung und Genugtuung bei Impfschäden (German, French and Italian only) website.