Local and Systemic side effects of COVID-19 Vaccines

Ahmed D Alatawi,Nasser Hadal Alotaibi,Yusra Habib Khan,Abdullah Salah Alanazi,Ali H El-Bahrawy,Ahmed M Sayed,Marwa O Elgendy,Abdulaziz Ibrahim Alzarea,Shafiq Naguib Shafiq,Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi

doi:10.61466/ijcmr2010002

Abstract

Background: To increase the public's acceptance of the vaccine, knowledge of its side effects is crucial. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify side effects in the Saudi population following vaccinations with Pfizer BioNTech and AstraZeneca. Method: In Saudi Arabia, an online survey was conducted between March and October of 2021. Participants from Saudi Arabia who received two doses of the Pfizer BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine took part. The survey identified side effects following vaccinations. Results: AstraZeneca and Pfizer BioNTech administered vaccines to 174 and 224 of the 398 subjects, respectively. Fatigue (83.9%), local pain (78.2%), bone or joint pain (74.1%), fever (67.8%), vomiting or loss of appetite (24.1%), swelling (24.1%), and redness (21.8%) were the most commonly reported side effects for participants who took AstraZeneca.&nbsp; For the participants who received Pfizer BioNTech, the most common adverse effects that were reported were fatigue (43.8%), bone or joint pain (38.4%), swelling (28.6%), fever (22.8%), redness (15.1%), and nausea or vomiting (11.2%). Local pain accounted for 90.6% of the adverse effects that participants reported. Conclusions: After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of participants reported experiencing at least one side effect. Whereas the AstraZeneca vaccination was linked to a higher prevalence of systemic side effects, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccination was linked to a higher prevalence of local adverse effects. Most adverse events following vaccination are not fatal. After receiving an AstraZeneca or Pfizer BioNTech vaccination, side effects were more common in women and younger age groups. Vaccinations against coronavirus have a good safety record.

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