Zaidi Samana, Qayyum Hafsa Abdul, Qayyum Izzah Abdul, Khan Zakir, Islam Taskeen, Ahmed Naveed, Hopkins Kathryn L, Sommers Theresa, Akhtar Samar, Khan Shahzad Ali, Javed Sumbal, Ikram Aamer, Akhtar Hashaam
Yusra Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Yusra Medical and Dental College, Islamabad, Pakistan.
School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland.
Front Public Health. 2025 Mar 6;13:1420291. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1420291. eCollection 2025.
The general population have depicted concern about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and its long-term effects on human health. Pakistan being on the verge of the pandemic is in more demand for vaccination and immunization. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the COVID-19 vaccines side effects among the general population.
A cross-sectional face-to-face study was carried out among individuals who received either the first dosage or both doses of vaccination in twin cities (Islamabad and Rawalpindi) of Pakistan. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included three sections (socio-demographic, medical history, vaccine, and immunization) with 20 questions. The collected data was analyzed in SPSS (version 25) using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and the odd ratio.
A total of 2,618 participants were included and of them, females (55.3%; = 1,449) were more than males. The majority of the participants reported the use of precautionary medicines including vitamin C (1,319; 50.4%) followed by paracetamol ( = 1,249; 47.7%) and mineral supplements ( = 616; 23.5%) for COVID-19. In this study, 3.8% ( = 99) were unvaccinated and the first and second doses of the vaccine was received by 2,519 and 2,239 of the participants, respectively. Different types of side effects were highlighted in the current study. The most frequently reported side effects after the first dose of COVID-19 were fever ( = 997), pain at the injection site ( = 994), muscle pain ( = 620), and fatigue ( = 482). Additionally, pain at the injection site ( = 852), fever ( = 815), and muscle pain ( = 601) were commonly reported after the 2nd dose of COVID-19. The lowest reported side effects were swollen lymph nodes and anaphylactic shock. In the current study, people who were previously immunized with the flu and pneumonia vaccine had a lower risk of developing side effects ( < 0.05).
This study highlights important information about side effects reported due to the COVID-19 vaccinations. Moreover, the use of precautionary medications was also highlighted. These findings could have a valuable impact on designing future comparative studies and developing policies/guidelines for pandemic preparedness.
普通民众对新冠疫苗的安全性、有效性及其对人类健康的长期影响表示担忧。处于疫情边缘的巴基斯坦对疫苗接种和免疫的需求更大。因此，本研究旨在评估普通人群中新冠疫苗的副作用。
在巴基斯坦双城（伊斯兰堡和拉瓦尔品第）接受了第一剂或两剂疫苗接种的个体中开展了一项横断面面对面研究。通过自填式问卷收集数据。问卷包括三个部分（社会人口学、病史、疫苗与免疫），共20个问题。使用描述性统计、卡方检验和比值比在SPSS（25版）中对收集到的数据进行分析。
共纳入2618名参与者，其中女性（55.3%；n = 1449）多于男性。大多数参与者报告使用了预防药物，包括用于预防新冠的维生素C（1319人；50.4%），其次是对乙酰氨基酚（n = 1249人；47.7%）和矿物质补充剂（n = 616人；23.5%）。在本研究中，3.8%（n = 99）的人未接种疫苗，2519名和2239名参与者分别接种了第一剂和第二剂疫苗。本研究突出了不同类型的副作用。接种第一剂新冠疫苗后最常报告的副作用是发热（n = 997）、注射部位疼痛（n = 994）、肌肉疼痛（n = 620）和疲劳（n = 482）。此外，接种第二剂新冠疫苗后常见的副作用是注射部位疼痛（n = 852）、发热（n = 815）和肌肉疼痛（n = 601）。报告最少的副作用是淋巴结肿大和过敏性休克。在本研究中，之前接种过流感和肺炎疫苗的人出现副作用的风险较低（P < 0.05）。
本研究突出了因接种新冠疫苗而报告的副作用的重要信息。此外，还强调了预防药物的使用。这些发现可能对设计未来的比较研究以及制定大流行防范政策/指南产生宝贵影响。
