The Prevalence of COVID Infection and Adverse Events Following Immunization with COVID-19 Vaccine (Covishield) Among Healthcare Workers and Students of a Dental College in Kerala: A Cross-sectional Study
Shyma Peradi, Josey Mathew, Liza George, Sinju Paul, Aleesha Joy
Keywords :
Adverse events following immunization, Adverse events following vaccination, Coronavirus disease-2019 vaccines
Citation Information :
Peradi S, Mathew J, George L, Paul S, Joy A. The Prevalence of COVID Infection and Adverse Events Following Immunization with COVID-19 Vaccine (Covishield) Among Healthcare Workers and Students of a Dental College in Kerala: A Cross-sectional Study. Cons Dent Endod J 2022; 7 (1):7-10.
Background: Any untoward event following immunization without essentially having a cause-and-effect relationship with usage of vaccine is an “Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI).” The study aimed at evaluating adverse events experienced by healthcare workers (HCWs) and students of a dental college, following immunization AEFI, with at least one dose of Covishield vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. The association of AEFI across various sex and age groups was also assessed.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted online among coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-vaccinated teaching staff, postgraduate students, interns, undergraduate students, and nonteaching staff of a dental college. The common AEFI, post-vaccination activities, and demographic characteristics were collected from respondents using a questionnaire. The effect of host-related factors on 14 specific symptoms of AEFI was also assessed.
Results: After screening, those above 18 years old and received minimum dose of Covishield, 240 participants were included in the study from the dental college. Only 72/240 (30%) participants did not report any AEFI, whereas 11/240 (4.6%) had symptoms of severe intensity. The commonest AEFI reported were moderate weakness (60.8%), pain at the injection site (60.8%), followed by fever (60%), body ache (10.7%), nausea (6.7%), headache (5.8%), chills (5%), and vomiting (1.7%). Females experienced more AEFI than males, particularly gastrointestinal symptoms. The participant's age and number of doses taken affected AEFI. A decrease in self-reported AEFI was associated with increasing age or number of vaccine doses. There is a significant association of AEFI with age of the participants (p < 0.01).
Conclusions: In the first 48 hours, AEFI was mostly observed. In the following weeks, the incidence decreased, with no AEFI reported after 15 days following both doses. Adverse events following immunization reported were mild and short-lived. No serious incidents were reported. We have assessed risk factors related to AEFI in participants vaccinated with Covishield. The important factors affecting AEFI are gender, age, and vaccine doses in this study.
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