Self-Reported Adverse Events Following COVID-19 Vaccination Among Medical Sciences Students After a Symptomatology Training Program: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Accurate and transparent investigation of adverse events (AEs) following COVID-19 vaccination enhances social trust and confidence in vaccination programs. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination-related AEs among medical sciences students.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a self-administered survey via Google Forms was conducted to evaluate AEs associated with the AZD1222 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) and BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) vaccines among medical sciences students. Data were collected following participation in a training program focused on the symptomatology of AEs, which was designed to reduce confirmation bias.

RESULTS

A total of 263 medical sciences students from North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran, participated in this study, with data collection occurring from August 8 to September 1, 2021. The median age of the study population was 23 years (IQR: 22-24), with 207 participants being female (78.7%). Following the first dose, the prevalence of AEs was significantly more common in the Oxford-AstraZeneca group compared to the Sinopharm group [OR 12.93 (5.57-30.03),  < 0.001]. However, in the second dose, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of AEs between the Oxford-AstraZeneca group compared to the Sinopharm group [OR 1.45 (0.86-2.46),  = 0.17]. Injection site pain, fever, body/muscle pain, headache, feeling unwell, and fatigue were the most common AEs associated with both vaccines, with variations in the prevalence between the vaccines and between doses. The type of vaccine and sex were the only factors influencing the prevalence of AEs. Notably, the odds of experiencing AEs were higher in women compared to men.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study indicated that the prevalence of AEs was higher for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine compared to the Sinopharm vaccine. Further research is necessary to explore the impact of utilizing standardized definitions and common terminology for COVID-19 vaccination-related AEs in ensuring accurate and consistent reporting.