Safety Monitoring of Covid Vaccines and Perception of Post-Vaccination Side-Ef-fects: Preliminary Findings from The First Month of Routine Monitoring in A Hos-pital Vaccination Setting of China
Abstract
Aihua Feng, Ruoyan Gai Tobe, Yongqiang Wang, Ting Yang and Xiuting Mo
Objectives: Safe and effective vaccines are urgently needed to control the pandemic. Two COVID-19 vaccines have been recently approved in China and the vaccination is initiated targeting people who are occupationally exposed to high-risk of the infection. This study aims to explore the occurrence of post-vaccination side-effects from the vaccines and its affecting factors in a hospital vaccination setting of China.
Methods: A total of 811 vaccinees aged 17 to 58 years, who finished the full package of two doses in February 2021, have been recruited at the second vaccination uptake via an overwhelmingly used social network application. An online survey has been conducted using a structured questionnaire created in the application, in which basic demographical information and self-reported post-vaccination side effects were collected. Data collection has been closed on March 16, 2021.
Results: Among all, there have been 66 participants who reported one or more mild side effects, while none of them developed severe cases. Those with history of immune deficiency were more likely to report side effect(s). Although with several concerns, most participants showed willingness to get vaccinated (98.8%) with relevant high proportions of perceived safety (99.5%) and effectiveness (97.3%).
Conclusions: The monitoring investigation has detected several self-reported mild side effects after the vaccination. It provides useful information on the uptake in particular at the recent moment that knowledge on the side-effects is still limited. Continuous monitoring of safety and effectiveness is warranted to promote vast acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.