scholarly journals Unfolding the Mild to Moderate Short-Term Side Effects of Four COVID-19 Vaccines Used in Bahrain: A Cross-Sectional Study

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1369
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nauman Zahid

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) created a global pandemic (COVID-19) that has resulted in massive health and economic losses. The current unavailability of treatments leaves vaccination as the only way to control this disease. There are four vaccines (Sinopharm, Pfizer—BioNTech, Sputnik, and AstraZeneca) available in Bahrain. This project aimed to study the most common side effects resulting from the first and second doses of these four vaccines. Data were collected through an online questionnaire answered by 311 individuals who received both doses of one of these four vaccines. The results of this study revealed that regardless of the vaccine identity, participants experienced more side effects from the second dose. Among the different side effects, pain at the site of injection was primarily observed after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine (43%), which was followed by the AstraZeneca vaccine (31%). Moreover, fever was observed in participants after the first dose of the Sputnik vaccine (37%), while headache was mainly observed after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine (32%). It is important to note that fatigue was observed after the first dose of all four vaccines but was reported by the highest proportion of respondents in the Pfizer group (28%). Interestingly, there are some side effects, such as pain at the site of injection, that are correlated with fever (r = 0.909). Similarly, headache is correlated with fever (r = 0.801) and pain at the site of injection (r = 0.868). Overall, it was observed that recipients of the Sinopharm vaccine reported the mildest side effects among all four vaccines. The crucial finding of this study is that the first and second dosage post-vaccination side effects were modest and predictable with no occurrences of hospitalization; this information can assist in lessening vaccine apprehension.

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1090
Author(s):  
Arifa Sultana ◽  
Saimon Shahriar ◽  
Md. Rafat Tahsin ◽  
Sabiha Rahman Mim ◽  
Kazi Rubiya Fatema ◽  
...  

Background: The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) was the first to be introduced in Bangladesh to fight the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. As this vaccine had shown some side-effects in its clinical trial, we aimed to conduct a study assessing short-term adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) in Bangladesh. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on social and electronic media platforms by delivering an online questionnaire among people who had taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The collected data were then analysed to evaluate various parameters related to the AEFIs of the respondents. Results: A total of 626 responses were collected. Of these, 623 were selected based on complete answers and used for the analysis. Most of the respondents were between 30–60 years of age, and 40.4% were female. We found that a total of 8.5% of the total respondents had been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Our survey revealed that out of 623 volunteers, 317 reported various side-effects after taking the vaccine, which is about 50.88% of the total participants. The majority of participants (37.07%, 231/623) reported swelling and pain at the injection site and fever (25.84%, 162/623); these were some of the common localized and generalized symptoms after the COVID-19 vaccine administration. Conclusion: The side-effects reported after receiving the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) are similar to those reported in clinical trials, demonstrating that the vaccines have a safe therapeutic window. Moreover, further research is needed to determine the efficacy of existing vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections or after-infection hospitalization.


Author(s):  
Mohamed N. Al Arifi ◽  
Abdulrahman Alwhaibi

Objective: Fever alone can lead to rare serious complications in children, such as febrile seizures. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, beliefs, and behavior of parents toward fever and its management. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was applied over a period of 3 months, from January to March 2018, to parents who were living in Saudi Arabia. The inclusion criteria were a parent who is a resident of Saudi Arabia, with at least one child aged 6 years or less, while incomplete questionnaires, having a child aged more than 6 years, or parents who were not living in Saudi Arabia were excluded. Results: A total of 656 parents completed the questionnaire. More than two-thirds of the subjects were female, the majority of whom were aged between 25–33 years old. The best-reported place to measure the temperature of children was the armpit (46%), followed by the ear (28%) and the mouth (10.7%). More than half of the parents considered their children feverish at a temperature of 38 °C. The majority of parents (79.7%) reported that the most serious side effects of fever were seizure, brain damage (39.3%), coma (29.9%), dehydration (29.7%), and death (25%). The most common method used to measure a child’s temperature was an electronic thermometer (62.3%). The most common antipyretic was paracetamol (84.5%). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the good knowledge of parents in identifying a feverish temperature using the recommended route and tools for measuring body temperature.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 556
Author(s):  
Ma’mon M. Hatmal ◽  
Mohammad A. I. Al-Hatamleh ◽  
Amin N. Olaimat ◽  
Malik Hatmal ◽  
Dina M. Alhaj-Qasem ◽  
...  

Background: Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic, there was no doubt that vaccination is the ideal protocol to tackle it. Within a year, a few COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and authorized. This unparalleled initiative in developing vaccines created many uncertainties looming around the efficacy and safety of these vaccines. This study aimed to assess the side effects and perceptions following COVID-19 vaccination in Jordan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing an online survey targeted toward Jordan inhabitants who received any COVID-19 vaccines. Data were statistically analyzed and certain machine learning (ML) tools, including multilayer perceptron (MLP), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest (RF), and K-star were used to predict the severity of side effects. Results: A total of 2213 participants were involved in the study after receiving Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, and other vaccines (38.2%, 31%, 27.3%, and 3.5%, respectively). Generally, most of the post-vaccination side effects were common and non-life-threatening (e.g., fatigue, chills, dizziness, fever, headache, joint pain, and myalgia). Only 10% of participants suffered from severe side effects; while 39% and 21% of participants had moderate and mild side effects, respectively. Despite the substantial variations between these vaccines in the presence and severity of side effects, the statistical analysis indicated that these vaccines might provide the same protection against COVID-19 infection. Finally, around 52.9% of participants suffered before vaccination from vaccine hesitancy and anxiety; while after vaccination, 95.5% of participants have advised others to get vaccinated, 80% felt more reassured, and 67% believed that COVID-19 vaccines are safe in the long term. Furthermore, based on the type of vaccine, demographic data, and side effects, the RF, XGBoost, and MLP gave both high accuracies (0.80, 0.79, and 0.70, respectively) and Cohen’s kappa values (0.71, 0.70, and 0.56, respectively). Conclusions: The present study confirmed that the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and getting vaccinated makes people more reassured. Most of the post-vaccination side effects are mild to moderate, which are signs that body’s immune system is building protection. ML can also be used to predict the severity of side effects based on the input data; predicted severe cases may require more medical attention or even hospitalization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 3076-3079
Author(s):  
Ibtesam-E- Fajar ◽  
Hina Aslam ◽  
Nimra Ijaz ◽  
Daniyal Ahmed ◽  
Amna Sarfraz ◽  
...  

The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc throughout the world, with 150 million cases to date and over 3 million lives claimed worldwide Objectives: To assess the immediate side effects of Covid-19 vaccination among the people of Pakistan Study Design: Randomized, descriptive cross-sectional study Methodology: Present study was carried out using an online questionnaire by enrolling 17040 subjects. Inclusion/Exclusion criteria: All citizens of Pakistan over the age of 12, who were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination were enrolled. Statistical analysis: Data was analyzed by SPSS software, version 25 in terms of frequencies and percentages. Results: In present study, results showed that 76% subjects were vaccinated. Among them 64% received Sinopharm, 30% Sinovac, 0.7% Pfizer, 0.5% Astrazeneca, 2.8% Moderna, 0.8% Cansino, 0.3% PakVac and 0.1% Sputnik V. Most participants (66%) suffered no symptoms post vaccination. Only 15% developed fever, 7% dizziness, 5% vomiting, 4% pain at injection site, 2% headache and 1% fatigue. After vaccination, 1% had a re-infection and 99% so far have not caught Covid-19. Among all participants, 87% found the vaccine safe, 7% were neutral and 5% found it unsafe. Conclusion: We concluded that most Pakistanis have received the Chinese vaccine i.e. Sinopharm. Majority individuals have experienced either no to mild or few moderate type of adverse effects following immunization irrespective of the age and gender that can be easily managed at home. Key Words: COVID-19, Vaccination, Awareness and Adverse Effec


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 674
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Alhazmi ◽  
Edrous Alamer ◽  
Dalia Daws ◽  
Mashael Hakami ◽  
Majid Darraj ◽  
...  

Background: Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca are recently introduced vaccines to combat COVID-19 pandemic. During clinical trials, mild to moderate side effects have been associated with these vaccines. Thus, we aimed to evaluate short-term post-vaccination side effects. Methods: Cross-sectional, retrospective study using an online questionnaire was conducted among COVID-19 vaccines recipients in Saudi Arabia. General and demographic data were collected, and vaccine-associated side effects after receiving at least one dose of each vaccine were evaluated. Results: Our final sample consisted of 515 participants with a median age of 26 years. Most of the study participants were female (57%). Nearly 13% of the study subjects have reported previous infections with SARS-CoV-2. Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have been received by 75% and 25% of the study participants, respectively. Side effects associated with COVID-19 vaccines have been reported by 60% of the study subjects, and most of them reported fatigue (90%), pain at the site of the injections (85%). Conclusion: Side effects that are reported post Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines among our study participants are not different from those that were reported in the clinical trials, indicating safe profiles for both vaccines. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the current vaccines in protection against SARS-CoV-2 reinfections.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Gönenli ◽  
İlker Kayı ◽  
Nilüfer Alpay Kanıtez ◽  
Tuba Baydaş ◽  
Murat Köse ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Throughout the pandemic, physicians working at the frontlines have embarked on various quests to protect themselves, and many physicians preferred the use of hydroxychloroquine (HQN) as a prophylactic agent. This study aimed to investigate the reasons leading physicians to use HQN and the effects of HQN use on physicians.Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study with a target population of physicians working in pandemic hospitals in İstanbul, Turkey. We have recruited the participants from seven different hospitals via an invitation email between May 14 and June 13, 2020. An online questionnaire, including 57 questions in total, was sent to each physician.Results: A total of 148 (26%) physicians used hydroxychloroquine for prevention. Older physicians and ones who have a story of exposure to COVID-19 patients without any protection used more prophylactic HQN. Hydroxychloroquine did not differ statistically in terms of being infected among the exposed physicians (p=0.52). Nineteen (13%) physicians using hydroxychloroquine developed side effects related to the drug. Diarrhea and nausea were the most common.Conclusion: Prophylactic HQN use was more common among the physicians older than 40 years and who had higher exposure rates to a COVID-19 patient without any protection. The physicians working at the frontlines had the highest rate of infection. Hydroxychloroquine was not effective in the prophylaxis of COVID-19 among the exposed physicians.


Author(s):  
Shahzaib Ahmad

Introduction: The corona virus pandemic has brought with it psychological problems like anxiety, stress, and depression. Research studies are urgently required to generate data that would help formulate strategies to manage the ensuing psychiatric and psychological maladies at societal level. Aims & Objectives: The aim of our study is to better comprehend the initial psychological response of society to COVID-19 outbreak though a survey. Place and duration of study: This cross-sectional study was conducted in King Edward Medical University, Lahore from April 2020 to October 2020. Material & Methods: An online questionnaire comprising of 20 items including the Zung self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was disseminated to three fifty (350) participants. Two hundred and seventy-one (n=271) responses were received. Collected data was entered and analyzed using the SPSS software version 20. Categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Relationships between categorical variables were tested by Chi square test. Regression analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of various variables on total stress score. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: It was revealed that 85.2% of the respondents reported minimal psychological impact, 14.8% had mild to moderate anxiety levels and 0.4% reported marked to severe anxiety. The impact was 2.5 times greater in subjects belonging to lower socioeconomic status (p=0.02). Conclusion: Population belonging to lower socioeconomic class is more vulnerable to be impacted by psychological disturbances due to the pandemic owing to economic losses that are magnified in the population with fragile earning sources.


Author(s):  
Donata Grimm ◽  
Sofia Mathes ◽  
Linn Woelber ◽  
Caroline Van Aken ◽  
Barbara Schmalfeldt ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The aim of this multicenter cross-sectional study was to analyze a cohort of breast (BC) and gynecological cancer (GC) patients regarding their interest in, perception of and demand for integrative therapeutic health approaches. Methods BC and GC patients were surveyed at their first integrative clinic visit using validated standardized questionnaires. Treatment goals and potential differences between the two groups were evaluated. Results 340 patients (272 BC, 68 GC) participated in the study. The overall interest in IM was 95.3% and correlated with older age, recent chemotherapy, and higher education. A total of 89.4% were using integrative methods at the time of enrolment, primarily exercise therapy (57.5%), and vitamin supplementation (51.4%). The major short-term goal of the BC patients was a side-effects reduction of conventional therapy (70.4%); the major long-term goal was the delay of a potential tumor progression (69.3%). In the GC group, major short-term and long-term goals were slowing tumor progression (73.1% and 79.1%) and prolonging survival (70.1% and 80.6%). GC patients were significantly more impaired by the side-effects of conventional treatment than BC patients [pain (p = 0.006), obstipation (< 0.005)]. Conclusion Our data demonstrate a high overall interest in and use of IM in BC and GC patients. This supports the need for specialized IM counseling and the implementation of integrative treatments into conventional oncological treatment regimes in both patient groups. Primary tumor site, cancer diagnosis, treatment phase, and side effects had a relevant impact on the demand for IM in our study population.


Author(s):  
Mahmoud A Mahmoud ◽  
Reem A. Almohaini ◽  
Raghad A. Assiri ◽  
Reema A. Alkhatabi ◽  
Reema S. Alobaishi ◽  
...  

Aims: To determine the prevalence of using prescribed and unprescribed Isotretinoin and to assess knowledge of its adverse effects among females in Riyadh, SA. Study design:  cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: online questionnaire collected throughout two months by distributing the questionnaire via. social media platforms. Methodology: We included 385 female patients (age range 15-45 years) use Roaccutane (Isotretinoin) with or without prescribed.  Statistical analysis was performed using Rv 3.6.3. Counts and percentages was used to summarize the distribution of categorical variables and data. Chi-square test was used to estimate the association between categorical variables. Hypothesis testing was performed at a 5% level of significance. Results: 568 respondents completed the questionnaire. Of these, 440 were from Riyadh. The majority of respondents were aged 15 – 20 (46.4%) and 21 – 25 (35.2%). Knowledge regarding some side effects of Roaccutane was significantly higher in respondents who reported using Roaccutane than those who did not. Knowledge of dry and cracked lips as a side effect was significantly higher in users (91.9%) than non-users (73.1%). Similarly, knowledge regarding dry eyes, depression, continuous thirst, nose dryness, bleeds, and effect of Roaccutane on liver biochemical profile, lipid profile, and bones was higher in users than non-users, regarding the teratogenic effect of Roaccutane was insignificantly different between groups. Conclusion: Females in Riyadh are aware of the side effects of isotretinoin, particularly dryness of the skin, eyes, and lips. Yet there is insufficient knowledge regarding its teratogenic effect. Based on the reported results, a few participants obtained Roaccutane without a prescription from the doctor, and some obtained their information from unreliable sources (i.e., friends/relatives). Our results suggest good practice towards the prescription of isotretinoin.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1110.1-1111
Author(s):  
J. Qiao ◽  
S. X. Zhang ◽  
T. T. Zhang ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
M. T. Qiu ◽  
...  

Background:Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma, SSc) is a rare complex connective tissue disease associated with high mortality and high morbidity1. Active SSc are typically treated with immunosuppressants, which may create a variety of severe side-effects, especially for long-term treatment2. As the pathogenesis of SSc is still a matter of debate, growing evidences have focused on the immune disorders3. However, the quantitative status of lymphocyte subsets in SSc patients are unclear and effects of immunomodulatory combination therapies (avoiding side-effects of conventional therapy) on the lymphocyte subsets are unknown.Objectives:To investigate the quantitative status of peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations and CD4+T subsets in SSc patients for the exploration of SSc pathogenesis and evaluate the effects of new immunomodulatory combination therapies on those cells.Methods:From July 2014 to December 2019, total 166 patients with SSc and 206 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study, in which, 79 follow-up patients received immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) such as low-dose interleukin-2, rapamycin, metformin, retinoic acid and coenzyme Q10. The absolute numbers of T, B, NK, CD4+T, CD8+T, Th1, Th2, Th17 and Tregs in peripheral blood of these subjects were detected by flow cytometry combined with standard absolute counting beads.Results:Patients with SSc had lower absolute counts of total T, NK, Th2, Th17 and Tregs as compared with those of HCs (P<0.05) (Figure 1). After immunomodulatory combination treatments, there were increases in a various of peripheral lymphocyte subsets such as T, B and CD8+T (P< 0.05). Moreover, the increased level of Tregs was much more dramatical than those of other lymphocyte subsets, resulting in the decrease ratios of Teffs/Tregs such as Th1/Tregs and Th2/Tregs and rebuilding immunologic equilibrium (Figure 2).Conclusion:This cross-sectional study clarified the abnormal status of lymphocyte subsets in SSc patients, suggesting lymphocyte subsets, especially Tregs, might be relevant and play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of SSc, thus providing a potential therapeutic target for SSc patients. Immunomodulatory combination therapies effectively increase the level of Tregs as well as other lymphocytes to some degree and maintain the immunologic equilibrium, which may help for SSc patients’ symptom remission.References:[1]Denton CP, Khanna D. Systemic sclerosis. Lancet 2017;390(10103):1685-99. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30933-9 [published Online First: 2017/04/18][2]Winthrop KL, Weinblatt ME, Bathon J, et al. Unmet need in rheumatology: reports from the Targeted Therapies meeting 2019. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;79(1):88-93. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216151 [published Online First: 2019/10/31][3]Skaug B, Khanna D, Swindell WR, et al. Global skin gene expression analysis of early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis shows a prominent innate and adaptive inflammatory profile. Ann Rheum Dis 2019 doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-215894 [published Online First: 2019/11/27]Acknowledgments :None.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


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