Background A safe and effective vaccine is the ultimate key to mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine acceptance is influenced by various factors, including perceptions about the vaccine’s safety and side effects. The side effects vary depending on the type of the vaccine, but they are mainly mild, local, temporary, and self-limiting. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out at Tanta University Hospitals, including 1246 healthcare workers who received either the first or the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, selected via a systematic random sampling technique using a self-administered structured validated questionnaire for data collection from November 2021 to January 2022. Qualitative data were presented as frequencies and percentages and analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results The prevalence of one or more side effects was 91.3%. Among participants, about two-thirds believed in vaccine safety and its necessity (65.4% and 63.6%, respectively). Significantly more participants (46.9%) were concerned about AstraZeneca thrombotic complications than other vaccine types. The top five side effects reported by participants were injection site pain (64.8%), sense of fatigue (57.1%), headache (49.9%), muscle pain (48.7%), and fever (46.5). Most of the side effects were significantly higher among participants vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Side effects impacted work capacity of 23.4%, which was significantly higher among participants who received AstraZeneca (33.6%). Conclusion Participants had a good level of belief in vaccination safety and necessity. Healthcare workers who got the AstraZeneca vaccination reported more adverse effects than other vaccines. Injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pains, and fever were the most frequently reported side effects. More research on vaccination safety is needed to understand the long-term adverse effects of vaccinations better, improve the public trust, and accelerate vaccine adoption.

Background: Medical students are vulnerable to infection by the Coronavirus. Their awareness of the disease is crucial for their safety, and for the management of the epidemic by spreading supportive information in their communities. Objectives: To assess COVID-19 related knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices among Egyptian medical students. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from the beginning of April to June 2020; 439 undergraduate medical students (1st - 6th academic years) were assessed using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 33 questions including: five items regarding socio-demographic features, 23 items concerning COVID-19 related knowledge, two items regarding attitude, and three items related to preventive measures. Results: We observed an acceptable level of knowledge (74.3%) among studied sample. Preclinical and female students were significantly more optimistic as 69.1% expected successful control of COVID-19, and 48.9% predicted that Egypt will win the fight against COVID-19. Majority of participants reported wearing a facemask in public places as a preventive measure (56.7%). Conclusion: Egyptian medical students had an acceptable level of knowledge, positive attitude, and good practices of preventive measures regarding COVID-19 virus. There is no significant difference in almost all items of knowledge, attitude and practices in relation to gender or academic grade.

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