Adverse Reactions Following the First Dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine and BNT162b2 Vaccine for Healthcare Workers in South Korea

Abstract

Background We performed a prospective survey on the adverse reactions following the first dose of two types of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare workers (HCWs) in South Korea. Methods HCWs at a tertiary referral hospital in Seoul, South Korea, received a chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or an mRNA-based vaccine (BNT162b2) between March 5 and March 26, 2021. The HCWs were asked to report adverse reactions through a mobile self-report questionnaire for three days after vaccination. Results A total of 7,625 HCWs received the first dose of ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2 vaccine during the study period. Of them, 5,866 (76.9%) HCWs (ChAdOx1, n = 5,589 [95.3%]; BNT162b2, n = 277 [4.7%]) participated at least once in the survey, of whom 77% were female and 86% were younger than 50 years. The overall adverse reaction rate was 93% in the ChAdOx1 group and 80% in the BNT162b2 group ( P < 0.001). Both local and systemic reactions were more commonly reported in the ChAdOx1 group, and the difference was larger in systemic reactions such as fever and fatigue. In the ChAdOx1 group, the incidence of adverse reactions was significantly higher in females and those in the younger age groups, while the BNT162b2 group showed such difference according to age. Conclusion In our prospective survey, vaccine-associated adverse reactions were more commonly reported in the ChAdOx1 group than in the BNT162b2 group. Females and younger age groups experienced vaccine-associated adverse reactions more frequently.

Systemic Adverse Events and Use of Antipyretics Predict the Neutralizing Antibody Positivity Early after the First Dose of ChAdOx1 Coronavirus Disease Vaccine

“…In Korea, AE-reporting rates were approximately 90%, more than those reported in phase 1/2 clinical trials [1][2][3]5]. According to the Yellow Card reporting, which is a voluntary AE-reporting scheme in the United Kingdom, the overall AE-reporting rate is around 3-6 Yellow Cards per 1000 doses administered [8].…”

“…We also found that systemic and localized AE scores (SUM and SoM) were higher among females than among males. This phenomenon is attributed to unknown immunological differences between the two sexes [1,11].…”

“…In our medical center, most HCWs were vaccinated with the ChAdOx1 COVID-19 vaccine. After vaccination, many HCWs complained of adverse events (AEs) with varying characteristics and severity [1][2][3]. However, there was little reference data on the AEs because Asians were only <5% of the total participants enrolled in the clinical trials for the ChAdOx1 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine [4,5].…”

COVID-19 Vaccine-associated Anaphylaxis and Allergic Reactions: Consensus Statements of the KAAACI Urticaria/Angioedema/Anaphylaxis Working Group

“…40 Recently, 3 academic Korean hospitals have reported 2 prospective and 1 retrospective studies with healthcare workers (7,625, 1,483, and 1,503 subjects, respectively) who received COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca) via survey or mobile adverse event reporting systems. 41 42 43 These studies suggested that adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination with the above 2 vaccines were mostly mild to moderate, and more frequently reported in female, younger age, and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccinated groups. The drug permission requirement labels endorsed by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety state that the anaphylaxis risk of the 2 vaccines is unknown (non-assessable).…”

Comparisons of Motivation to Receive COVID-19 Vaccination and Related Factors between Frontline Physicians and Nurses and the Public in Taiwan: Applying the Extended Protection Motivation Theory

“…The efficacy of the vaccine is 76.0% at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 beginning at 22 days following the first dose and 81.3% after the second dose [15]. Local pain, muscle ache, fatigue, and headache were the most common adverse reactions which occurred in Asian people [16]. Several cases of unusual thrombotic events in combination with thrombocytopenia were observed in patients after Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination [17].…”