Liability Issues Related to COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing and Global Distribution [August 19, 2021]   [open pdf - 535KB]

From the Background: "In March 2021, the United States announced efforts to donate Coronavirus Disease2019 (COVID-19) vaccines abroad. In many high-income countries, vaccines and other medical countermeasures are playing a critical role in controlling the spread of COVID-19. Vaccine distribution efforts in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have been comparatively slow for a variety of reasons, raising concerns about how inequities may hinder pandemic control. Some vaccine manufacturers and others willing to donate COVID-19 vaccines are concerned about legal exposure should there be adverse health events arising from COVID-19 vaccination outside of the United States. [...] This In Focus discusses potential liability issues that vaccine manufacturers and donors may face and options Congress might consider while deliberating vaccine distribution and liability issues."