A new Covid vaccine compensation scheme could be set up for people who say they have been ‘left disabled’ after being jabbed.Health Secretary Wes Streeting is considering a new programme to help those who are now suffering from life-changing conditions, having taken the AstraZeneca jab.This comes amid calls to overhaul the existing scheme, Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), as there is concern it cannot handle the current high volume of claims – which latest figures show is more than 15,000.Those affected are keen to see the scheme, which was originally set up in 1979, reform its eligibility criteria and payout structure, saying it is ‘no longer fit for purpose’. Wes Streeting , the heath secretary is considering a new programme to help those who are now suffering from life-changing conditions Data acquired under the Freedom of Information Act shows 168 people have been told they are eligible for the Vaccine Damage Payment, a £120,000 tax-free sum, due to injuries from a Covid jab The majority of claims under the vaccine injury scheme relate to the AstraZeneca jabWhile thousands have been turned down by medical assessors who say there is not enough evidence of the jab causing harm, payments of £120,000 have been doled out in 175 cases – fewer than two per cent of those who applied.Applicants have been awarded payments for conditions including dangerous blood clots, inflammation of the spinal cord, excessive swelling of the vaccinated limb and facial paralysis as well as for strokes and heart attacks.Some 97 per cent of successful claims relate to the AstraZeneca vaccine with just a handful relating to damage caused by Pfizer or Moderna, according to Freedom of Information requests made by the Telegraph.One of the key criticisms cited by campaigners is the all-or-nothing payment of £120,000.They argue the payment does not go far enough for those most severely disabled by a vaccine injury, such as those who have suffered brain injuries, are now unable to work and face ongoing care costs for the rest of their lives.However, those who receive a payout under the scheme can still pursue private legal action against the Government to secure more damages.Sir Jeremy Wright MP, the shadow attorney general, said: ‘If you are in the very small minority of those injured [by the Covid vaccine], those people have a right to expect the state to look after them properly – they were only doing what the state asked them to do.’Campaigners highlight how the £120,000 figure was set in 2007 and has not kept pace with inflation and the rising cost of living. In some patients, the AstraZeneca jab triggered a blood clotting complication that was so rare it was missed in original clinical trials Researchers believe the rare side effect occurs due to the modified cold virus lurking in the jab having an adverse effect on platelets in the blood, triggering clottingAccording to figures from the Bank of England, if the sum had increased alongside inflation payments, it would now be just over £195,000.Another criticism is the length of time it takes for victims to get payment.MailOnline has spoken to some successful applicants who had to wait nearly two years to see a penny of the £120,000 sum.They said this added to stress of being unable to work due to disability and having to rely on their savings to survive.Others have previously told this website how year-long delays had left them with no option but to sell their homes and rely on food banks.And some families, surviving on benefits such as Universal Credit following the death or disability of a main breadwinner from a jab injury, have had this state support reduced or removed entirely, with Government classifying the £120,000 as ‘income’.But some Brits never see a penny at all, due to the scheme’s 60 per cent disability cut-off.Those injured by a vaccine must either be killed or be at least 60 per cent disabled by their injury, as assessed by a medic, for they or their families to get any money.This feature, described as ‘cruel’ by critics, means Brits with lesser, but with potentially still life changing injuries, get nothing.Astrazeneca is being sued in a class action over claims that the jab, developed with the University of Oxford, caused death and serious injury in dozens of cases.The Government has indemnified AstraZeneca against any legal action, but has so far declined to intervene.The AstraZeneca jab, which has been effectively withdrawn worldwide, was discovered to carry a very rare risk of triggering potentially fatal blood clots.This side effect missed in clinical trials simply because of how rare it was, is called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), or alternatively vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Cambridge-based AstraZeneca, which is contesting the legal claims, acknowledged in a legal document submitted to the High Court in February that its vaccine ‘can, in very rare cases, cause TTS’.The firm has said in a statements since then: ‘Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems.’Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.’From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.’