An observational study of side effects associated with COVID-19 vaccines among samples at El-Marj City
Keywords:
Covid-19, Vaccines, Sinopharm, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Side effectsAbstract
Background : Vaccines are one of the best interventions developed for eradicating COVID-19, saving millions of lives annually. Moreover, the best option remains an effective, safe vaccine without severe adverse reactions. The lack of effective and approved COVID-19 treatment has triggered a vaccine development race, with 259 COVID-19 vaccine projects underway from November 11, 2020. The rapid creation of vaccinations has increased the risk of vaccine safety issues.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the short-term side effects after receiving either Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) or Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccines in a sample of 18 years and older citizens and residents at El-Marj City.
Materials and methods: Cross-sectional survey-based study was carried out from 6 November 2021 to 8 January 2022. The Study units were a sample of 58 residents from El-Marj city who attended vaccination centers. Data collection: was by utilized a self-administered questionnaire.
Results: 42 of the study participants 72.4% experienced side effects due to the COVID-19 vaccines. Nearly 70.7 % reported side effects immediately on the first day of receiving the vaccine. The duration of the side effects lasted from one to three days for 77.6 % of the participants. In particular, local pain at the site of injection and fever were the most commonly reported side effects among our study participants (65.5% and 41%, respectively). Thirty-six percent of the participants reported headaches and 31% of them reported having fatigue. Muscle pain was common among the individuals of our study (31%). However, nausea and cough were less commonly reported by our study.
Conclusion: This study concluded that most of the participants reported local pain at the site of the injection fatigue, fever, and headache, and they are more common in those after the second dose of the vaccines. Moreover, only a few patients needed to see a doctor due to vaccines’ side effects.
