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Evaluation of Short-Term Side Effects Following the First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines Among Physicians and Dentists: A Cross-Sectional Study from India

Majumder MAA 1 , Singh K 2 , Johnson WMS 3 , Rajasundaram A 3 , Gupta S 2 , Gaur U 2 Show all authors , Kumar S 4 , Chatterjee M 5 , Fazle Rabbi AM 6 , Sangishetti VP 7 , Rahman S 8 , Campbell MH 2 , Harewood H 2 , Bharatha A 2 , Krishnamurthy K 2 , Kabir R 9 , Parsa AD 9 , Mohammmad S 10 , Haque M 11 , Razzaque MS 12

Affiliations 

  • 1 Public Health Foundation of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2 Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Bridgetown, Barbados
  • 3 Department of Anatomy, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
  • 4 Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
  • 5 Department of Pharmacology, Shri Ramkrishna Institute of Medical Science, Durgapur, West Bengal, India
  • 6 Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 7 Department of Pharmacology, Govt. Medical College, Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • 8 School of Medicine, American University of Integrative Sciences (AUIS), Bridgetown, Barbados
  • 9 Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, Essex, UK
  • 10 BRAC Learning Division, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 11 Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (National Defence University of Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur, 57000, Malaysia
  • 12 Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, USA
J Multidiscip Healthc, 2023;16:161-174.
PMID: 36700174 DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S390364

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Efficacy and safety are fundamental for the development of successful COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine-associated side effects influence vaccine hesitancy. This study investigated the prevalence, severity, and onset of side effects following the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines among physicians and dentists working in various healthcare settings across India.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey collected self-report data from April to June 2021 on side effects following the first dose of the vaccine. An online validated questionnaire using the Google Docs® platform was circulated via email and social media platforms.

RESULTS: More than 40% of participants experienced at least one side effect after the first dose of vaccination; the most common were mild and resolved within three days after vaccination. More than 91% of respondents received the Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccine; the most prevalent adverse effects were soreness of the injected arm (78.9%), tiredness (71.1%), and fever (54.9%). Logistic regression showed that women were almost 60% less likely to report side effects.

CONCLUSION: Findings supported the safety of the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine based on relatively few self-limiting side effects, mainly soreness of the injected arm and tiredness. Further research is needed to determine the long-term safety of COVID-19 vaccines, especially after booster doses.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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