Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (Jan 2023)

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,
  • Singh K,
  • Johnson WMS,
  • Rajasundaram A,
  • Gupta S,
  • Gaur U,
  • Kumar S,
  • Chatterjee M,
  • Fazle Rabbi AM,
  • Sangishetti VP,
  • Rahman S,
  • Campbell MH,
  • Harewood H,
  • Bharatha A,
  • Krishnamurthy K,
  • Kabir R,
  • Parsa AD,
  • Mohammmad S,
  • Haque M,
  • Razzaque MS

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 161 – 174

Abstract

Read online

Md Anwarul Azim Majumder,1,2 Keerti Singh,2 WMS Johnson,3 Archana Rajasundaram,3 Subir Gupta,2 Uma Gaur,2 Santosh Kumar,4 Madhuri Chatterjee,5 Ahbab Mohammad Fazle Rabbi,6 Vijay Prasad Sangishetti,7 Sayeeda Rahman,8 Michael H Campbell,2 Heather Harewood,2 Ambadasu Bharatha,2 Kandamaran Krishnamurthy,2 Russell Kabir,9 Ali Davod Parsa,9 Shegufta Mohammmad,10 Mainul Haque,11 Mohammed S Razzaque12 1Public Health Foundation of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 2Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Bridgetown, Barbados; 3Department of Anatomy, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; 4Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India; 5Department of Pharmacology, Shri Ramkrishna Institute of Medical Science, Durgapur, West Bengal, India; 6Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 7Department of Pharmacology, Govt. Medical College, Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, India; 8School of Medicine, American University of Integrative Sciences (AUIS), Bridgetown, Barbados; 9Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, Essex, UK; 10BRAC Learning Division, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 11Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (National Defence University of Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur, 57000, Malaysia; 12Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, USACorrespondence: WMS Johnson, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Email [email protected]; [email protected] Mainul Haque, Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: 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.Keywords: prevalence, adverse effects, COVID-19 vaccine, physicians, dentists, India

Keywords