Pediatric and adolescent COVID‐19 vaccination side effects: A retrospective cohort study of the Iranian teenage group in 2021

Abstract

To determine the safety and efficacy profile of teenager COVID‐19 vaccination. In this retrospective cohort study, contact numbers of parents of teenagers under 18 years of age referred to a teenager vaccination centers in Tehran‐Iran to receive the corona vaccine were collected, and the following information was obtained via the phones: demographic information, type of vaccine, and the number of doses received, as well as additional information like complications and required treatments. Eleven thousand forty‐two subjects aged 10−18 years, mean age 14.55 ± 1.83 year including 5374 boys and 5768 girls were investigated. 88.1% received the Sinopharm and 11.9% the Soberana vaccine. General side effects, including fatigue, fever and chills, injection site pain and dizziness, and so forth happened in 2978 cases; 7421 children presented with at least one general or organ‐specific side effect following vaccination, including potentially critical side effects, such as vascular injuries, respiratory complication, and so forth. 0.1% of the subject needed hospital admission. The breakthrough infection happened in 200 individuals. Our study shows that Sinopharm and Soberana (PastoCoVac) COVID‐19 vaccines are generally safe with no serious side effects in less than 18 years old. COVID‐19 infection and reinfection can occur after vaccination, but the incidence is actually tolerable and significantly lower than in the unvaccinated group.