Abstract
Background: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a serious threat to mass vaccination strategies that need to be accelerated currently in order to achieve a substantial level of community immunity. Independent (non-sponsored) studies have a great potential to enhance public confidence in vaccines and accelerate their uptake process. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study for the side effects (SE) of CoronaVac was carried out in February 2021 among Turkish healthcare workers who were recently vaccinated. The questionnaire inquired about local and systemic SEs that occurred in the short-term, within four weeks, following vaccination. Results: A total of 780 healthcare workers were included in this study; 62.5% of them experienced at least one SE. Injection site pain (41.5%) was the most common local SE, while fatigue (23.6%), headache (18.7%), muscle pain (11.2%) and joint pain (5.9%) were the common systemic SEs. Female healthcare workers (67.9%) were significantly more affected by local and systemic SEs than male colleagues (51.4%). Younger age, previous infection, and compromised health status (chronic illnesses and regular medicines uptake) can be associated with an increased risk of CoronaVac SEs; Conclusions: The independent research shows a higher prevalence of CoronaVac SEs than what is reported by phase I–III clinical trials. In general, the results of this study confirm the overall safety of CoronaVac and suggest potential risk factors for its SEs. Gender-based differences and SEs distribution among age groups are worth further investigation.
Highlights
Aversion to side effects (SEs) of vaccines, even minor SEs, can increase vaccine hesitancy levels at the time when accelerating mass vaccination is needed the most [1]
Across-sectional survey-based study was carried out in February 2021 to evaluate the prevalence of CoronaVac short-term SEs among healthcare workers in Turkey where the vaccine acquired emergency use authorization, and the healthcare workers were defined as a “priority group” that was planned to be vaccinated since 14 January 2021 [13]
A total of 878 responses were received between 5 February–5 March 2021 from Turkish participants who recently received the CoronaVac vaccine; 15 non-healthcare workers, 82 individuals vaccinated before 14 January, and 1 non-Turkish healthcare worker were excluded
Summary
Aversion to side effects (SEs) of vaccines, even minor SEs, can increase vaccine hesitancy levels at the time when accelerating mass vaccination is needed the most [1]. A recent cross-sectional study found that the risk of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was the highest for Chinese vaccines with 50% efficacy and 1 in 10,000 serious SE [2]. Safety and SEs is a crucial asset to enhance public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and their effectiveness. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a serious threat to mass vaccination strategies that need to be accelerated currently in order to achieve a substantial level of community immunity. Independent (non-sponsored) studies have a great potential to enhance public confidence in vaccines and accelerate their uptake process. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study for the side effects (SE) of CoronaVac was carried out in February 2021 among Turkish healthcare workers who were recently vaccinated.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
